Web Series Review: The Family Man - Season 2 is highly recommended

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On September 20, 2019, THE FAMILY MAN dropped quietly on Amazon Prime and it soon became one of the greatest web series of India. The show was loved for its humour, realism, and thrill and of course, the performances. And now after a long wait, THE FAMILY MAN SEASON 2 is finally here. So does the second season turn out to be as good as or better than the first instalment? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse.

THE FAMILY MAN SEASON 2 is the story of a secret agent trying to foil a deadly mission of a rebel group. After the Orion Chemical factory incident, Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) quits TASC over certain developments. He joins a new IT company called Cache Me, run by an overzealous and overachiever 28-year-old guy, Tanmay Ghosh (Kaustubh Kumar). Srikant’s wife Suchitra aka Suchi (Priyamani) quits Shrink Me after the Lonavala episode with Arvind (Sharad Kelkar). She’s now a homemaker and is terribly bored. She starts going for therapy hoping that she can revive her marriage with Srikant. Srikant and Suchi’s daughter, Dhriti (Ashlesha Thakur) becomes even more rebellious and is now seeing a guy named Kalyan (Abhay Verma). Their son, Atharv (Vedant Sinha), on the other hand, is learning to play trumpet and is terrible at it. Meanwhile, The prime minister of Sri Lanka, Rupatunga (Abhishek Shankar) calls the prime minister of India, Basu (Seema Biswas) and requests her to hand over Subramaniam Palanivel aka Subbu (Srikrishna Dayal), who along with others is a part of the Tamil government in exile. He’s wanted in Sri Lanka and is currently in Chennai. Basu makes it clear that he’s not a criminal on Indian soil and hence, she can’t hand him over. She later relents when Rupatunga agrees to allow Indian government to build a military base in Northern Sri Lanka. Basu realizes that this can help India keep China off the Indian Ocean. She tells the members of the TASC to arrest Subbu and get him to Mumbai. Srikant’s colleague and best friend JK Talpade (Sharib Hashmi) leaves for Chennai. Subbu however kills some TASC agents who had gone to nab him and takes a couple as hostages. JK informs Srikant about it. Srikant gives valuable advice at this point that helps TASC arrest Subbu. Meanwhile, the ISI decides to play spoilsport here. They carry out a blast at a Chennai court when Subbu was present there. Subbu dies on the spot. This enrages his brother Bhaskaran (Mime Gopi), the prime minister of Tamil government in exile, operating from London. Bhaskaran quits the government and hands over the reins to Deepan (N Alagamperumal), a peace loving person who prefers dialogue over violence. Bhaskaran, however, is in no mood for peace. Basu announces that she’ll hold bi-lateral peace talks with Rupatunga in Chennai. Bhaskaran senses that this is a great opportunity to eliminate both the ministers as both of them have been against their cause. Major Sameer (Darshan Kumaar), still hurt over the failure of Mission Zulfiqar, extends help to Bhaskaran to carry out his mission. Bhaskaran tells his team, lying dormant for years, to prepare. These include Selvarasan (Anandsami) and Raji (Samantha Akkineni). Both were a part of the Tamil rebel group but after the movement disintegrated, they have been living in Chennai without any suspicion. Both are asked to quit their jobs and start work. All is going well until Nanda (Prakash Rajan), who owns a factory where Raji works, realizes that Raji is from Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka and that she has given a fake address. He demands sexual favours from her. He comes to her house to sleep with her. She reluctantly agrees. However, when he physically assaults her during the act, an enraged Raji kills him with her own hands. What happens next forms the rest of the series.

Raj & DK and Suman Kumar's story is terrific. It is rare or maybe it is the first time that this topic has been taken up for a non-regional project. And the writers have added some relevant and exciting plot points and tracks to keep the interest going. Suman Kumar, Suparn S Varma and Raj & DK's screenplay adds a lot to the plot in hand. They have peppered the script with sequences that not just thrill but also has light moments. However, the first 4 episodes could have been tighter, faster and more exciting. Suparn S Varma's dialogues are witty and sharp and at some places, induce laughs. Special mention should also go to Manoj Kumar Kalaivanan who has very well penned the Tamil dialogues.

Raj & DK and Suparn S Varma's direction is supreme. A web series of this kind and scale needs to be delicately handled and flawlessly executed. In this regard, the trio win hands down. There are so many tracks and characters in this series and there’s a lot happening. This time, thanks to the Tamil Nadu setting, several scenes have only Tamil dialogues. Yet, the series never gets confusing or heavy. Most importantly, it is kept very simplified and hence, just like the first season, it’s sure to have a wide appeal. The last 4 episodes are when the series goes on another level. The tension is built up very well and will keep viewers on the edge of the seats. The finale, thankfully, is the best part of the enterprise and the series ends on a great note with the promise of an equally exciting Season 3. On the flipside, the first 4 episodes are not that great. The first season of THE FAMILY MAN had started with a bang. Something of this sort is missing here. Also, these episodes are needlessly long and should have been shorter for a better impact. The other problem is that there are a lot of cinematic liberties. One might not mind a few of them but there are some developments that are a bit too convenient. Lastly, a few questions remain unanswered, some of which are from the first season. A section of fans might not be able to digest that these queries of Season 1 would or might be now directly answered in Season 3!

THE FAMILY MAN SEASON 2’s first 10 minutes are great and it helps in introducing to the viewers about the rebels and their cause. The series then moves at a snail’s pace and engages in the scene where Subbu gets nabbed with great difficulty at the Sri Ventakeswara Lodge. Raji has a late entry and her track gets interesting when she attacks the molester and later Nanda. As for Srikant, his track initially is average and it’s only when he quits (and how) that one knows that now the series will take off in a big way. In the second half of the series, Srikant and JK’s police station scene is hilarious while the arrest and subsequent investigation of Raji is chilling. The attack at the police station is shocking and very well captured in one take. But if you think this is the best part of the series, you’ll be in for a surprise. The kidnapping episode and the parallel episode of the attack of the rebels are even better and give you your money and your time’s worth.

Speaking of performances, Manoj Bajpayee, as expected, rocks the show. One knows that he’ll impress as he had shown in the first season how he is apt for the part. In season 2, he continues being the disgruntled person who is trying his best to be an ideal father and husband while also saving his country. Priyamani is natural and her struggles and dilemmas seem very convincing. Towards the last few episodes, she especially is too good. Ashlesha Thakur is impressive and she, too, shows her acting brilliance in the last few episodes. Vedant Sinha plays the part of the irritating yet adorable child well. Samantha Akkineni is one of the best things of the series. This was no easy role but the way she gets into the skin of her character is to be seen to be believed. She has chosen a great project to introduce herself to the Hindi and global audiences and it’s sure to benefit her. Sharib Hashmi as always is funny and sensible. Each time he comes on screen, one is sure to break into a smile. Sharad Kelkar is dependable. Seema Biswas gets her act right; everything in the series happens due to her and hence, she has an important part to play though she doesn’t have considerable screen time. Darshan Kumaar is decent but his character gets a raw deal. Here’s hoping Major Sameer gets his due in Season 3. Mime Gopi is terrific while Srikrishna Dayal dominates the first episode. N Alagamperumal is too good and his character is sure to get appreciation for his non-violence stance. Anandsami, Abhishek Shankar and Prakash Rajan don’t get much scope. Abhay Verma is an actor to watch out for. Kaustubh Kumar is hilarious. Shreya Dhanwanthary (Zoya) is hardly there. This can be disappointing as after SCAM 1992, she has got into another league. Sunny Hinduja (Milind Hinduja) and Dalip Tahhil (Kulkarni) are okay. Vipinkumar A Sharma (Sambit) is fine and his obsession with tea is a bit confusing but is a great touch nevertheless. Late Asif Basra (Counselor) is lovely while Shahab Ali (Sajid) has a great screen presence. Ravindra Vijay (Muthu Pandian) delivers a fantastic performance. His scenes revolving around the North-South divide are funny. Devadarshini Chetan (Umayal) leaves a huge mark despite limited screen time. Vijay Vikram Singh (Ajit) and Aritro Rudraneil Banerjee (Punit Banerjee; geek in TASC) are okay. Uday Mahesh (Chellam) is outstanding. His character hardly appears but whenever he does, he amazes! Shruti Bisht (Mahima; Dhriti’s best friend) is fair. Finally, two of the directors of the series, Suparn S Varma (as Journalist Unmesh Joshi) and Krishna DK (as Nikhil) have special appearances and do well.

Sachin-Jigar's music arrests attention, especially the theme song. But it's Ketan Sodha's background score that takes the cake. Cameron Eric Bryson's cinematography is breathtaking and enhances the impact. And it’s smooth and jerk-free in the two long action scenes, shot in one take. Saini S Johray's production design is authentic. Aejaz Gulab and Yannick Ben's action is not that violent overall and adds to the thrill and entertainment quotient. Suveera Ambade and Swetesh Ambade's costumes are realistic and appealing. VFX is great but in some scenes, it could have been better. Sumeet Kotian's editing is slick but drags in the initial episodes. Lastly, special mention should go to Mukesh Chhabra's casting. The casting director has really found some really talented actors and helped them get recognition.

On the whole, THE FAMILY MAN SEASON 2 is a bit unexciting and dragging in the initial episodes. But it gets more and more thrilling and entertaining with each passing episode with the climax being the best part of the enterprise. The first season got immensely popular and this instalment, too, will definitely be well received. At this rate, it’s sure to become one of the biggest franchises of Indian web space. Highly recommended!

Rating: 4 stars