Ram Madhvani says all the action scenes in Aarya were done by Sushmita Sen herself, without the help of a stunt double
Aarya season 3 part 2 is out now on Disney+ Hotstar
The trailer of Aarya Season 3 included a shot of Sushmita Sen, the lead actor, taking a stance with two swords in her hand, a clear indication that she would be seen in the thick of the action, quite literally. All through the first four episodes of Aarya Season 3, which was released last year, Sushmita is seen constantly putting herself in danger. She is dodging bullets, shooting at people, running to the rescue, and protecting her children.
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She doesn't play a police officer or a spy, or some gangster with training in how to deal with a gunfight. She is a mother of three who has taken on her husband's business, and his enemies, after his death. How often do we see a woman indulging in such action in our films or web series?
I put the question to the man behind the show, Ram Madhvani. "You have to understand, that this is Sushmita Sen. And there is star power there, right? This is not just about Aarya. When you see a male person do that, even though they may not be a cop, or may not be, trained, it's because that star plays that, you accept it,” he says.
“Why is it then, therefore, that we are not accepting it - or we are accepting it, thank God - when a female plays it. Because she's among probably the only 2-3 people who can do it, who can do the physicality of what this takes and watch out, it’s going to get even more now!”
Action with the emotion
Ram continues, “And it's fun, right when you have an actress who can do that kind of stuff, and wants to that kind of stuff, while and without losing the children, the family, without losing the emotion, any of that. She had been tough from season one. We've seen her upside down. We've seen her do weights, her treadmill. There is a strength that she comes with. So I think when she does it, it's believable.
“And you know what, she does it herself, by the way. There's no stunt double. All of it. This is Sushmita who does it,” he reveals.
Despite the focus on the action and suspense, the series never loses grip on the emotions. Everything Aarya does is connected to her core value – protection of her family. How do they manage to achieve that?
“First of all, this is not a thriller. This is not a crime show. This is a show about family, number one. Number two, it's about a woman who is juggling various roles like all women do,” Ram explains.
“And that's what fascinates me - that how is it that you all are juggling being a working woman, and let's say, a daughter or a wife or a girlfriend or a sister and all of these roles, which we don't juggle as men. So that juggling tightrope walk is something that I'm very fascinated by when I see it around me, with all the women around me, who are very strong women who are managing this with a lot of grace and some passion and fierceness.
Ram quotes a line Sonam Kapoor, his heroine in Neerja had said to him. “There is something I say in the writer’s room, dil pe touch nahi hua yaar. Sonam said to me once, Ram, you're the most commercial director that I know. The thing that I say is, unless a scene touches you when you're watching it, you have to, like… I'm in the business of feelings."
Aarya Antim Vaar is out now on Disney+ Hotstar.
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