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The Family Man Review

September 20, 2019 16:18 IST

The Family Man is the espionage drama India is waiting to see, raves Karan Sanjay Shah.

There’s so much to be expected from The Family Man, which has a stellar cast in Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi, Gul Panag and Sharad Kelkar, and is directed by the talented duo of Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.

Well, it does not disappoint.

One gets hooked from the very first episode and can binge-watch all 10 episodes without a break.

It is a raw, engaging, well-written espionage drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The twists, turns and complexities keeps up the guessing game till the end.

 

The Family Man revolves around Manoj Bajpayee’s Srikant Tiwari.

He is a middle-class guy, who tries to balance his family life while working secretly as a field agent at the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC) of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

Though he is constantly taunted by his boss, wife and kids, he is committed to keep the country safe. 

Srikant, his partner JK Talpade (Sharib Hashmi) and their TASC team chance upon information that the country is under a huge threat.

A deadly attack is being planned in Mumbai but they are short of any major leads.

The case takes up Srikant’s attention, leaving his family life is disarray.

His wife Suchitra Tiwari (Priyadarshani) feels distanced from him and draws closer to her colleague, Arvind (Sharad Kelkar). 

Meanwhile, a cat and mouse chase begins, taking us from Mumbai to Srinagar to Balochistan, and ends in Delhi.

Links between terror organisations in Asia are uncovered.

But will the worst terror attack on India take place?

Will India and Pakistan go to war again?

Will the family man be able to save his family as well as the country?

Watch the Web Series on Amazon Prime Video to know more.

The Family Man is the espionage drama India is waiting to see!

Directors Raj and DK keep you guessing every single second, which is quite difficult in a 10-episode series.

The Web series has been well-researched and put together, and is inspired from real, day-to-day events.

The logistical and financial constraints of India's intelligence agencies, radicalisation of the youth, the Jammu and Kashmir issue and Indo-Pak relations have been presented well.

You get to solve the puzzle piece-by piece alongside Srikant and his team.

The shocking twists will make you jump, and the climax will leave you astonished.

The harsh realities of life like including poverty, corruption and discrimination are highlighted, and will make your gut wrench.

You feel the emotions of the characters.

The hard-hitting scenes, especially the action sequences and scenes of battle, blood and gore are believable and impactful. 

The cinematography is well done, and credit goes to Nigam Bomzan and Azim Moollan. The frames, lighting, elements in the background and the locations have been chosen well.

The background music and effects in each and every scene is on point. Kudos to Ketan Sodha. 

Sumit Arora must be applauded for the dialogues. The punchlines, jibes and jokes are quite integral to the show.

Manoj Bajpayee aces his role. His acting is top notch as always.

He carries the series on his able shoulders.

Sharib Hashmi complements him well, as does Priyamani.

Neeraj Madhav, as ISIS recruit Moosa Rehman, and Shahab Ali, as Sajid, are the surprise elements and they pull off the roles of the main terrorists with ease.

Sharad Kelkar as Arvind, Dalip Tahil as Srikant's mentor, Kishore Kumar G as Pashaand, Gul Panag as the Srinagar NIA officer Saloni Bhatt perform well in their bit roles.

The editing and dubbing could have been better.

You will see a few mismatches in the visuals and audio in a few sequences.

Also, in a few scenes, the VFX and CGI work is very shabby.

The Family Man starts slow, almost at a snail’s pace, and picks up suddenly. Perhaps the pace could have been quicker at the start. Some sequences seem unnecessarily stretched.

Still, The Family Man is a gem of a socio-political, action thriller about an Indian spy.

The climax will leave you with unanswered questions.

Does that indicate a second season?

Let's wait and watch.

Rediff Rating:

KARAN SANJAY SHAH