Aranyak, the investigative thriller series that marks the digital debut of actor Raveena Tandon, will stream on Netflix from December 10. The yesteryear Bollywood star plays a cop in search of a missing girl in the fictional forest of Sironah.
The gritty investigative police woman role of Kasturi Dogra is tailor-made for an actor who is on a comeback of sorts. Recently we saw Rani Mukherjee in Mardaani (1 and 2) playing the sleuth.
It'll be a different test for Raveena, who, by and large, played the glamorous lover girl in her hey days. It is good that the OTT platform provides new opportunities for elder actors to reinvent themselves.
The series is produced by Roy Kapur Films and Ramesh Sippy Entertainment, Showrun by Rohan Sippy, Directed by Vinay Waikul and Written by Charudutt Acharya.
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It will be a visual treat, too
Raveena made her film debut in 1991 with Patthar Ke Phool, which was produced by GP Sippy Films. And now, she is making her OTT debut, again with Sippy Films. In that sense, she is returning to from where she began her career.
Of her role, Raveena said: “Kasturi is surrounded by male counterparts and wants to achieve something in her career. The show represents the way we women juggle our careers, lives and emotional support that we get or don’t get from home”.
Apart from Raveena, Aranyak, which refers to a forest or a forest dweller, features an ensemble cast of Ashutosh Rana, Parambrata Chatterjee, Zakir Hussain, Meghna Malik and Indraneil Sengupta.
The trailer, launched a few days back, makes it clear that apart from the thrills of murder and mystery, the series will be a visual spectacle too.
A take off from a real-life cop
Producer Siddarth Roy Kapur said, “Rohan, Vinay and the team have given life to multi-dimensional characters from the intriguing world of Aranyak, which was beautifully conceptualized and written by Charu. We hope the audience will connect with the story and feel the thrill and chills, while being thoroughly engaged and entertained.”
Showrunner Rohan Sippy said “Aranyak is a dream turned reality for a lot of us." He said the writer Charu told him about his experience while on holiday up in Himachal, where he encountered this intriguing, fascinating lady cop and that sparked the idea for Kasturi’s character. "The story from there has just been fascinating to build.”
Tanya Bami, Series Head, Netflix India, said, “Aranyak tees off a wholesome series slate that we are really excited to bring to our audience across 2022. We have a mix of everything our members love.”
