Aarya season 3 part 1 review: Strong core narrative with some minor flaws

Aarya season 3 revolves around the titular matriarch embracing her role as a crimelord with aspirations of growing her business to new heights. The first four episodes are streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Story

Aarya is growing her criminal enterprise but she soon finds out that it isn’t as easy as she had envisioned. She is facing the threat of Sooraj Randhawa, Nandini’s husband who has vowed to end Aarya’s life.

There is also ACP Khan, who hasn’t given up his quest to bring Aarya to justice and has some inside assistance this time. Her ambitious plans grab the attention of Nalini Sahiba, the established supplier who doesn’t want Aarya to encroach on her territory.

Aarya maintains this business to protect her children, but the longer she is embroiled in it, the further it pushes her away from her children who are also in harm’s way.

Performances

Sushmita Sen once again leads this series with a distinguished performance. The balance she maintains between a cold don and a desperate mother is brilliant, often blending the two roles perfectly.

Viren Vazirani gets a lot more responsibility this season and he does an adequate job. His character comes across as whiny and overbearing at times, but Vazirani commits to the performance admirably.

Vikas Kumar continues to be a thorn in Aarya’s side as ACP Khan, although there isn’t a lot of focus on his personal life this time around. Vishwajeet Pradhan is mildly entertaining as Sampat with his antics.

Indraneil Sengupta is a great addition to Sooraj Randhawa. He is the perfect foil for Aarya and his villainous turn is menacing and compelling.

Positives

The story is well written as it follows Aarya during a new phase of her life. Her characterization has shifted slightly but she hasn’t entirely forgotten her roots and that makes for an engaging watch.

The creators also weren’t afraid to make bold decisions when it came to character deaths, and that genuinely raised the stakes within the series to an exciting level.

The brief moment between Aarya and Sooraj where she convinces him that they must end this cycle of violence is great. It does just enough to tease the audience before the bait and switch.

Negatives

There are several moments where the editing is a bit suspect, and that affects the viewing experience. It’s a little too abrupt and frequent and it doesn’t allow the audience to focus properly.

The scenes with Anton are woefully below par and almost fall into parody territory. It simply isn’t at the same level as other interactions in the series.

Verdict

Splitting the season into 2 parts is mostly a marketing ploy to prolong engagement but Aarya season 3 risks alienating some viewers with this decision. The grittier side of the titular character is on display and she comes up against some very credible threats in season 3 which provides an intriguing story.

There are some signs of a dropoff which do not take away from the good work the series has done so far, but they are at risk of experiencing a dip if those mistakes continue.

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Also Read: Aarya season 3 part 1 summary and ending explained