Filmmaker Ram Madhvani on his new crime drama 'Aarya', Sushmita Sen's digital debut

Actress Sushmita Sen has been out of the acting limelight for a while now, her last Bollywood release being 2010's No Problem. She acted in Bengali film Nirbaak in 2015. Viewers therefore are very excited to see her make her digital debut in the web series Aarya, which will release this Friday on Disney+Hotstar.
Aarya is a crime drama series that sees Sushmita (in the title role as Aarya) take over her husband Tej's (Chandrachur Singh) medicine business (which is a front for an illegal drug trade) when he is shot dead. Now, she must struggle to survive and protect herself and her children.
We caught up with Ram Madhvani, co-creator and producer of Aarya for a chat.

The trailer of Aarya is very hard-hitting and gripping. What are your thoughts on directing this series?
While the show is co-produced by Amita Madhvani and myself for Ram Madhvani films, it's also co-created by me and Sandeep Modi and we have three directors... Myself, Sandeep Modi and Vinod Rawat. I've been wanting to make Aarya for over 9 years and am happy Disney+Hotstar and Endemol Shine trusted us with it. Aarya is a family crime drama so it's about family first. It's also an emotional story about a mother who will go to any lengths to protect her children.

Considering Sushmita Sen is making a comeback to acting after a long hiatus, how was it working with her in Aarya?
Sushmita Sen is a star, no doubt about it. The definition of a star is that when they enter a room the energy changes. But Sushmita was also so enthusiastic and motivated during the whole show, in fact from the first day I met her I knew that I would love to work with her again. Please watch the show, spread the word so we can do season 2.

Aarya is based on the Dutch drama series Penoza by Pieter Bart Korthuis. How was it adapted to suit Indian sensibilities and keeping an Indian audience in mind?
This is always a key issue when adapting anything. Even when adapting Shakespeare. Stories are universal but as long as you can make them culturally particular the audience will relate to it. As you can see from the trailer it's real and it's believable.

You have directed some memorable ad films as part of your advertising career, as well as the hit Bollywood film Neerja. What made you decide to take on the digital space with Aarya?
I've always wanted to make Penoza from the first time my wife Amita (who is our co-producer at Ram Madhvani Films) and I saw it. It's an incredible story about a strong character who goes to any length to protect her immediate family. It also needed that duration of time (9 episodes) to tell the story.

What do you hope the audiences take away from Aarya?
Aarya is an emotional story about families and protecting your children.

Television and Bollywood productions have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. How long do you think the industry will take to get back to normal and what will change, post the coronavirus lockdown?
We are in the creative business and so we are positive and we live in hope. Soon I hope.
What can you tell us about your recently launched production house?
Ram Madhvani Films is a natural extension of Equinox Films. We have been making advertising films for many years under the Equinox banner and in Ram Madhvani Films we will be making features and series. We are in the business of emotions and feelings.


What would you like to say to viewers here in the UAE about Aarya?
Watch it. It will thrill you. It will make you cry. It's a family crime drama and if you watch it on Disney+Hotstar from Friday, June 19th. We can get to make Season 2.
enid@khaleejtimes.com