The only doubt about Aranya

Every second big-budget film announced these days is over-hyped and proclaimed as a pan Indian project that’ll open in multiple languages. However, only a select lot of films has the scope and the range to fit that term. Rana Daggubati’s much-delayed trilingual, Aranya, to hit theatres in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi version on March 26, fits the bill for the same. The trailer of the film was launched today.

Aranya has a very universal theme – a battle between human greed and the wild. Here, the protectors of wildlife take on the establishment to ensure that the habitat of the animals isn’t encroached due to the selfish needs of humankind. Rana plays a raw, rustic elderly man, a torchbearer of wildlife, who does everything within his limits to protect natural reserves. Tamil actor Vishnu Vishal makes his debut with the project, where the likes of Ananth Mahadevan, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Zoya Hussain play key roles.

Issues like animal safety and the protection of their habitats have been in the news recently and are relevant in the world more than ever before. It makes sense that a director like Prabhu Solomon, who’s dealt with a subject surrounding wildlife in Gaja Raju, is helming Aranya. Besides Rana Daggubati’s presence, will these factors convince crowds to enter the theatres?

The story certainly has elements that are worthy of a big-screen experience, though the current pandemic scenario and the absence of a star-pull make it a tricky prospect for the makers. The team has rejected several OTT proposals to ensure a wide theatrical release. One must wait to see if the move pays off.