The web-series format was new to Indian audiences with an OTT platform such as Amazon Prime, and Netflix hit the bingo with the content it offered. While “The Family Man,” created by versatile creative duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. in 2019, it was love and all heart with its audience. The duo made the spy character different from the conventional approach; they showed a spy with work and family at heart. The second season takes us back to the life of our beloved family man, Shrikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee).
The much-awaited second season starts after a while of where the first season ended. This is important, because we didn’t get a few answers from the Season 1 finale. Season 2 starts with a new element where we see the last mission successfully applied. Our family man and spy Srikant Tiwari has a new car and job and more family time. He works in an IT firm where he does routine stuff and guidance from his 28-year-old boss. The world-class TASC agent is now cooking dinner and trying hard to save a marriage and family life instead of a nation.
Nothing Adventurous, Yet Much Adventure
While we see nothing adventurous is going on in his life, Srikant calls and meets J.K. (Sharib Hashmi), his old TASC partner for fun. We also get to know that his marriage is going down, and down despite trying hard to save it., J.K keeps telling Srikant to join him back to the force. Shrikant pretends to be happy with what he’s doing; the spy can leave Shrikant…but can Shrikant leave it?
While Shrikant is busy with his life, the nation’s enemy is busy planning to strike hard. We get to see a new part in the story in the form of Tamil liberation fighters, who have been demanding an independent state for the Sri Lankan Tamils for years. The leader of the government in exile and the army is Bhaskaran (Mime Gopi). After an attack on their base in Sri Lankan, he and his brother Subbu (Srikrishna Dayal) and critical member Deepan (N. Alagamperumal) fly to London. Subbu was sent to India for some work and was killed in a bomb attack on his way to court. Feeling betrayed by this, Bhaskaran decides to get influenced by ISI agent Major Sameer (Darshan Kumar) and ally to assassinate Prime Minister Basu (Seema Biswas) on her meet with Sri Lankan prime minister Chennai.
Samantha Akkineni in “The Family Man.” Photo: Amazon Studios.
Bhaskaran reactivates his army members, who are now based in Chennai for this mission. We get to introduce Raji (Samantha Akkineni), a deadly trained militant and pilot who looks innocent and keeps quiet but is hiding a volcano inside her. Due to the heated situation, Srikant joins the TASC and went to Chennai with his colleagues to stop the assassination. We see a different side of Shrikant in the new season; while in first season we see his quirky humor, this time we also get to see him going through regrets and mix bag of emotions.
What begins as a straightforward operation goes atrociously erroneous. In the meantime, Srikant’s vexation at wanting to do the correct thing but not flourishing outstretch its height. So will he be able to rescue the nation from these threats? It’s not fair to give spoilers; the answer to this question lies in a rip-roaring chase story to stop a rebel plan and threaten national security.
Mixing Humor with the Element of the Spy
The series has been created, directed, and written by the duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., with writers like Suman Kumar and Suparn Varma. The first season has its fan base for the fun element brought into the otherwise thrilling spy genre, but the second season fulfills the presupposition. It is here that writers pull off the connection between cordial and flawless, while the subject is controversial. Yet, they naturalize it so that it does not affect sentiments with ethnic people. Their writing shows us in various parts the maltreatment and dominion that originates monsters that sometimes come for the intimidator. But Raj and D.K. once again use the family element to bring down the lightness and fun element into the story.
The writers do magnificent work whenever the two main protagonists cross paths. It’s not wrong to say that the creator Raj and D.K. have cracked success in conceptualizing the chase story.”
In an Interview, Raj and D.K. said they had a story for the second season ready while they had released the first. This has turned out to be a blessing, as we have seen many times second seasons don’t live up to expectations. While Season 1 was denser in its approach, Season 2 is spread extensively. The screenplay is modern and aware of the time frame it has set in, which we get to know from many scenes. In one scene, a character discusses putting a drenched cell phone in rice to soak in a way talked about in the WhatsApp generation we are in. Each dramatic persona is layered, and none are left in one tone. The idea of Tamilians speaking the native languages work in favor of the show gives it its much-needed authenticity and depth.
A Second Season Shines where Often Many Do Not
The early episodes of Season 2 contribute to the substratum, similar to the first season; the story is put on the accelerator of momentum, moderately unrolling sub-narratives and new characters. Yet, the creators are keeping it accurate to its core subject of the family man spy.
The writers do magnificent work whenever the two main protagonists cross paths. It’s not wrong to say that the creator Raj and D.K. have cracked success in conceptualizing the chase story. While the series is rife with ingenious scenes, two of these stand out for the attractive cooperativeness and sequence design: the police station shootout and the climax. Both are long sequences with zero or negligible chops. In these scenes, you don’t follow the characters but go with them in the situation. Huge credit and praise here goes to the series’ cinematographer, Cameron Eric Bryson.
Manoj Bajpayee is one of the most versatile and talented actors who gets into the skin of any given he’s character. He threw out his long career; he has proven that you provide him with anything, and he will be mold into it. Like the first season, Manoj again brings realism into his character. Still, this time with his fantastic sense of humor, he gets the show a side of his emotions we haven’t seen much before in the series. It’s hard to say who is who because of Manoj’s excellent portrayal of Shrikant Tiwari; in one scene, Shrikant is going through a low moment and is about to cry to his wife.
Manoj Bajpayee shows his versatility in Season 2. Photo: Amazon Studios.
Manoj’s ability to show the series’ action and then change the emotion shows his tremendous acting skill. It won’t be wrong to say that his performance is essentially indicative of the show’s success. Likewise, Samantha Akkineni has been rocking and surprising many viewerswith her recent performances. “The Family Man” is another addition to it. Her portal of Raji is scary and innocent. The way she does the action is natural and kick-ass. She flawlessly gets under the physicality and mindset of her character.
Other players round out the series. Sharib Hashmi as J.K is startling; he is flawless and savage, who makes you laugh and also shows excellent camaraderie with Manoj Bajpayee. Talking about Priyamani as Suchi is brilliant and does not fail to remind us of the first season. Ashlesha Thakur as Dhirti and Vedant Sinha as Atharv are perfect. Sunny Hinduja again leaves an impact on his performance. A special mention for their mesmerizing performances goes to actors such as Anand Sami, Srikrishna Dayal, Ravindra Vijay, Azhagam Perumal, Mime Gopi, and Devadarshini Chetan.
“The Family Man” Season 2 has all one can ask for—a fantastic story, direction, and top-notch acting. If you have seen Season 1, you won’t be disappointed with this new offering. The show has some drawbacks, but it is worth a binge-watch for its action and thriller. Even if you are not a fan of Manoj or Samantha, you will love their performance; and if you are a fan, this one is the treat. The series is a must-watch and should not be missed over this weekend.
*”The Family Man” is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
