Aarya Review: A Series That Won’t Let You Look Away

Aarya is a gripping crime thriller that is hard to stop watching. Sushmita Sen plays Aarya Sareen, a mother pulled into her family’s drug business after her husband’s murder. The show has three seasons, released between 2020 and 2024, and streams on JioHotstar, the service that replaced Disney+ Hotstar in 2025.

We reviewed season 2 when it dropped in December 2021. This updated review covers the whole series, fixes a mistake in our original piece (the show is based on the Dutch series Penoza, not a Spanish one) and adds where things stand in 2026.

Aarya review: quick facts

What was Aarya season 1 about?

Aarya Sareen’s comfortable life falls apart when her husband Tej (Chandrachur Singh) is murdered by a masked man. Tej’s world is tied to her own family, led by her father Zorawar (Jayant Kripalani) and brother Sangram (Ankur Bhatia), and to his associate Jawahar (Namit Das).

Aarya sets out to find the truth, while trying to keep her children safe from the men around her. The season ends with her fleeing the situation she was forced into. Ram Madhvani, Sandeep Modi and Vinod Rawat directed it, and the pace rarely drops.

Aarya season 2 review

Season 2 brings Aarya back into the fight. This time she is less polished and visibly more worn out, and that suits the story. We see her grow into a tougher version of herself as she takes on her father Zorawar (Jayant Kripalani) and her ambitious brother Sangram.

The heart of the season is Aarya’s bond with her elder son Veer (Viren Vazirani). His angry, confused teenage years feel real, though a subplot about his young girlfriend is a little awkward. Sikandar Kher as Daulat and Vikas Kumar as ACP Younus Khan stand out in supporting roles.

Each episode ends with a twist that keeps you clicking “next”. The story does get long and tangled in places, and a few scenes feel forced. But the climax ties things up well, and we would still recommend season 2 despite its glitches.

Performances: Sushmita Sen carries the show

This is Sushmita Sen’s show from the first frame to the last. The camera rarely leaves her, and she holds it. Our one complaint from 2021 still stands: during the worst crises, she sometimes looks a little too put-together for a woman in the middle of a gang war.

Her work earned her the Best Actress award at the Filmfare OTT Awards in 2020, and the series picked up eight nominations that year. The supporting cast, including Sugandha Garg as Hina and Pratyaksh Panwar as her younger son Adi, gives the family scenes real warmth.

Aarya cast and characters

• Sushmita Sen as Aarya Sareen
• Chandrachur Singh as Tej Sareen (season 1, cameo in season 2)
• Sikandar Kher as Daulat
• Ankur Bhatia as Sangram Singh Rathore
• Jayant Kripalani as Zorawar Singh Rathore
• Sohaila Kapur as Rajeshwari Singh Rathore
• Namit Das as Jawahar Bishnoi (season 1)
• Vikas Kumar as ACP Younus Khan
• Viren Vazirani as Veer Sareen and Pratyaksh Panwar as Adi Sareen
• Ila Arun as Nalini Sahiba and Indraneil Sengupta as Sooraj Raizada (season 3)

What works and what does not

What works is the focus. Aarya is a story about a mother first and a crime boss second, and the writers rarely lose sight of that. The family scenes, especially between Aarya and her sons, give the violence real stakes.

What does not always work is the length. Some side plots run on too long, and a few twists feel designed only to end an episode on a cliffhanger. Viewers who like tight, closed stories may find the later seasons slower.

Aarya season 3: what changed

Season 3 was released in two halves of four episodes each, the first on 3 November 2023 and the second in February 2024. Ram Madhvani, Vinod Rawat and Kapil Sharma directed it. Ila Arun joined the cast as Nalini Sahiba, and Indraneil Sengupta came in as Sooraj Raizada.

The new faces add fresh threats, and Sushmita Sen is as watchable as ever. In our view the split release slowed the momentum a little, as viewers had to wait about three months for the second half.

Is there an Aarya season 4?

As of October 2026, no fourth season has been officially announced. Public listings for the show describe it as a three-season series. If anything changes, we will update this page.

Aarya review: final verdict

• Watch it for: Sushmita Sen, tight writing in season 1 and a strong mother and son track in season 2.
• Be ready for: violence, some loose ends and a story that sprawls in later seasons.
• Our rating: 3.5 out of 5 for the series overall.

Looking for more? Read our other reviews or browse more Indian web series.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Aarya, Wikipedia: JioHotstar.