When Family Man arrived on Amazon Prime two years ago, it impressed viewers with its taut story and engrossing lead performance by Manoj Bajpayee. While the first season focused on a rogue Pakistani ISI cell, the second season gives a more measured take on Tamil rebels, especially through the character of Raji (Samantha Akkineni).
Srikant (Manoj Bajpayee) has left TASC (a fictional Indian anti-terrorist unit) for a corporate job at an IT company where his younger boss repeatedly reminds him of not being a ‘minimum guy’. He is doing couples therapy with Suchi (Priyamani), who still feels guilty about what happened between her and Arvind (Sharad Kelkar) in Lonavala. Srikant soon finds himself getting knocked with the spy game again when the Indian prime minister, Basu (Seema Biswas) tries to nab an important Tamil rebel in Chennai.
Manoj Bajpayee is stellar as Srikant, who is a more compelling character than, say, Jack Ryan, because not only is he competent, he also has to balance a family life. Samantha is also engaging as Raji, channeling her rage and ruthlessness well, although her black face makeup was probably unnecessary. She is a more than capable foil for Srikant, and her determination to complete her missions keeps things engaging till the climax.
Family Man also does well in humanizing the Tamil rebels and also bringing attention to how they were massacred by Sri Lankan government forces. The show is paced well, and it also builds and executes its action set pieces very effectively. It’s easily one of the most engrossing Indian web series in recent memory, and also a good spy thriller story in general.
The side characters are also well-realized, from JK (Sharib Hashmi), who plays off well against Srikant, to Dhriti (Ashlesha Thakur), whose teenage spunk is put to the test when she lands in a harrowing situation. The show also handles humor very well, especially when Srikant finally lets loose on his boss before quitting his job.
Family Man becomes more intense than ever late in its second season when Srikant’s personal life becomes collateral damage as the terrorists try to force him to back down. The resolution to this conflict paves the way for a more fraught climax.
Family Man has evolved as a show in its second season, and hopefully we will continue to see more of this growth in the next season.
The cliffhanger teases a new conflict with a new faction, which might bring a welcome change in pace much like the second season did with its focus on Tamil rebels.