A train journey and opium flowers: Creator and director Ram Madhvani reveals his inspiration behind Sushmita Sen’s ‘Aarya’

By Ms Moon

on June 23, 2020

Hotstar Specials in conjunction with RMF (Ram Madhvani Films) has recently launched Aarya – a story where organized crime is the daily family business and betrayal runs deep. The show features actor Sushmita Sen, Chandrachur Singh and an ensemble cast of talented actors Namit Das, Sikandar Kher, Jayant Kripalani, Sohaila Kapoor, Sugandha Garg, Maya Sareen, Vishwajeet Pradhan and Manish Chaudhary in pivotal roles. Directed by Ram Madhvani, Sandeep Modi and Vinod Rawat, Aarya is an official adaptation of popular Dutch crime-drama Penoza.

Recently, Ram Madhvani revealed that he wanted to recreate internationally acclaimed - Penoza for the Indian audiences for over 9 years but was baffled by how best to churn this out for the Indian audience, keeping their content-appetite in mind. Like every other artist, he chanced upon his Eureka moment for Aarya in the most unconventional way.

The powerful narrative of #Aarya has become the talk of the town! Watch all episodes streaming on @DisneyplusHSVIP: https://t.co/zHZNsU79I1
@thesushmitasen #ChandrachurSingh @RamKMadhvani #AmitaMadhvani @EndemolShineIND @sandeep_modi @vinod_rawat @RheaPrabhu @dasnamit pic.twitter.com/9fLrDo74cK

— Ram Madhvani Films (@OfficialRMFilms) June 22, 2020

Speaking about this incident that sparked the thought to create Aarya, he says, “I saw Penoza 9 years ago with my wife, Amita, now my co-producer. When we saw it, we immediately knew that this is the character that we really had to bring onto the screen for the Indian audience. For a couple of years, I was clueless on how to adapt it. Around 7 years ago, we were undertaking a train journey and I happened to ask the TC the whereabouts of some flowers blooming outside. Upon being informed of them being opium fields, it occurred to me how to root this. I knew how to make it culturally relevant to India.”

A lot of research, deliberation and reflection went into the inception of the masterpiece that is Aarya, the results of which was showcased to us on June 19, only on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. Catch the thrilling family crime drama Hotstar Specials Aarya only on Disney+ Hotstar VIP!

(Source: Agencies)