Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019, 2021
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Director : Krishna D.K., Raj Nidimoru
Cast : Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Samantha Akkineni, Sharib Hashmi, Dalip Tahil
Kid Rating : PG-13
I had greatly anticipated The Family Man Season 1 when it first released in 2019, because, well, Manoj Bajpayee. He is one of the finest actors in Bollywood, having starred in fabulous movies like Gangs of Wasseypur I, Shool, and Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and many, many more. Also this is a Raj & DK production, and they are innovators. They try new stuff – sometimes the innovation goes south, like that forgettable Zombie movie Go Goa Gone, but sometimes they produce magic like The Family Man.
Anyway, so I watched the first episode of Season 1 and was massively disappointed. I dropped The Family Man and didn’t return to it until friends suggested I power though the first, maybe the first 2 episodes, because the series was so worth it. And am I glad I did!
Now that Season 2 of Family Man is out too, I had the special treat of binge-watching Two seasons of The Family Man without interruptions. This was a very good weekend.
The Family Man is about Srikant Tiwari, an intelligence office in the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC), a part of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). Tiwari’s job is National Security – protecting the nation from attacks both internal and external. He keeps the dangerous nature of his job hidden from his family – his wife Suchitra (Priyamani), daughter Dhriti and son Atharv.
In the first season of The Family Man, Srikant and his colleagues must thwart attacks from Pakistani terrorists, while in the second, they must prevent the LTTE from assassinating the Prime Minster’s of India and Sri Lanka as they meet for talks and important trade negotiations. I’d say the 1st season is good and the second is fantastic!
The Family Man is a great series because it is multi-faceted. Yes, it is primarily the chase of the bad guys, but there is also focus on Srikant’s family life – his problems with wife Suchi, hints of a past with a former colleague (played by Gul Panag), and his relationship with his kids. The kids were cute, and the son’s character was a hoot. Srikant Tiwari himself is a very interesting character. He loves his family and is dedicated to his job. He is forever dashing about in pursuit of leads, much to the chagrin of his wife. He is quick on his feet, a glib talker and an even better story-teller; not all his stories are true.
The Family Man tells us the tale from two points of view – the first is from Srikant’s , and the second from the villain’s. We, the viewers can see that the bad guys are doing and how Srikant and his team are hot on their trail, uncovering clues, sourcing information from there tech experts/online chatter as well as informants on the ground. There are expertly executed fight sequences and suspense-filled chases – with the climax of the second season being a superbly filmed edge-of-your-seat will-they-won’t-they scene. Each episode is tight and leaves you wanting more.
The characterization and the acting in The Family Man is immaculate. The actors portraying their roles seem real – the Tamilian characters actually speak Tamil, the Kashmiri characters really do seem to be from the region. Srikant’s Tamilian wife drops little Tamil phrases into her Hindi sentences, and Maharatrian Talpade often lapses into Marathi. A lot of the dialog is in English/Tamil where apt, making the whole thing look more realistic (unlike A Suitable Boy, where the English dialogues felt oh-so-phoren).
As far as the acting goes – Manoj Bajpayee is superb but we expect no less from him. Srikant’s wife is gorgeously portrayed by South-Indian actress Priyamani (whom you might remember from the below dance sequence from Chennai Express). Watch carefully for the female dancer:
Sharib Hashmi plays Srikant’s collegue JK with such ease that he is one of the more memorable characters from the series. The addition of several superb stalwarts – Gul Panag as Saloni Bhatt in Season 1, and Samantha Akkineni as Raji in Season 2 – takes this series up several notches. Then there are the 2 child artistes – Ashlesha Thakur and Vedant Sinha who are charming performers, and bring the whole impish sister-brother relationship to life.
I also have it to hand it to the directors for the attention to detail. While I was a little skeptical during Season 1 (some loopholes), Season 2 really brought it’s act together, culminating in a suspenseful, nail-biter of a climax. The Family Man is truly a world-class series of the secret agent genre, and in Srikant Tiwari we have found our Indian Bond; not quite as svelte or debonair, but just as effective in dealing with the baddies. I can’t wait for Season 3!
Kidwise: Gun-fighting, somewhat gory violence with knives.
