The Family Man (season 2)
RATING
Introduction
And IT IS FINALLY HERE! It was late in 2019 when an espionage thriller caught the fancy of the audience which in the hindsight turned out to be one of the most popular Indian shows on Amazon Prime. Backed by the genius Director Duo of Raj and DK that show was The Family Man. Based on the popularity of the show, season 2 was announced much to the excitement of everyone. When news started pouring in that the makers have roped in Samantha Akkineni in season 2, the excitement was doubled. Finally the show was slated to release on 12th February 2021. But owing to some of the earlier controversies, Amazon decided to indefinitely push back the release. Now here I must admit, my excitement for season 2 which was at its peak in February had started dipping. Finally after much delay, season 2 has finally seen the light of the day. Is it worth your time, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
The second season of The Family Man is a continuation from the first season but the action this time shifts towards the south in Chennai where Srikant and his team must prevent another catastrophe from occuring. The story here is even better and more layered than season 1. The screenplay might seem long from the outside with 9 episodes of almost 40-45 mins each but it is as watertight a screenplay you will ever get. It starts off on a slow note with a lot of build up. This for me was genius writing as it allowed the audience to get reintroduced to their favourite actors and also get a sneak peek into their worlds as they stand today with a right amount of humour to compliment the drama. Once the platform is set, the thriller really takes off and there is absolutely no respite provided to the audience. There are so many sequences that are so thrilling that needless to say, you end up binge watching the series. Also, there are many subplots too and it is an absolute skill that so many of them were tied up perfectly. If I have to say something about the flipside and that too by placing a microscope on all the proceedings, the ending could have been a little unhurried and more layered. As conpared to the entire season which was beautifully layered, the ending was a little too simple for my liking. The final showdown between the two main characters could have been a little more fleshed out. But this is just a minor flaw in an otherwise perfect screenplay!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
When it comes to the dialogues in any Raj and DK film, they have to be quirky and here they are no different. Some of the dialogues will make you laugh and mostly every dialogue will keep you engaged. Also, the authenticity is retained here with a few characters from the same origin talking to each other in their native language which was a masterstroke. The music is outstanding and the BGM really adds a nice layer of intrigue along with it being pulsating. A special mention on the action sequences – some of them are one shot sequences that are brilliantly choreographed with top notch cinematography too. The Director Duo of Raj and DK have yet again delivered, this time even better than season 1. This is probably their best work till date. The direction is absolutely top notch, no questions asked.
Performances
Darshan Kumaar as Sameer yet again impresses in a cameo. Likewise for Shreya Dhanwantary, Dalip Tahil, Seema Biswas, Sharad Kelkar and Vipin Sharma who are all brilliant and add a lot of weight to the drama with their presence. Sunny Hinduja as Milind(he is everywhere isn’t he?) Is outstanding once again. Aritro Banerjee as Punit and Vijay Vikram Singh as Ajit are first rate. Anand Sami as Selva and Abhay Verma as Kalyan are top notch and a case of brilliant casting by Mukesh Chhabra(yet again). Devadarshini Chetan as Umayal has some terrific screen presence and I wish to watch more of her. Kaustubh Kumar as Tanmay is hilarious in a small cameo. Shahab Ali as Sajid is intimidating and has done a fine job. Vedant Sinha as Atharv is such a good actor, he shines here too. Ashlesha Thakur as Dhriti is pretty convincing too. Priyamani as Suchi is highly underrated and she delivers a very subtle and restrained performance. Ravindra Vijay as Muthu has such a meaty role and he really sinks his teeth into it. Brilliant! Sharib Hashmi is such a versatile actor with an impeccable comic timing. Here as JK(yeah we should call him that!), he balances the comic act along with a seriousness to his character so well! Manoj Bajpayee as Srikant is top notch yet again. A supremely versatile actor who really makes things work right from ball one. But the series truely belongs to Samantha Akkineni who shines as Raji. She has very little dialogue to play with throughout but this is her skill that is on full display where you find yourself sympathising with her character yet not fully supporting her. And she can really kick some ass! Truely an acting masterclass of the highest order.
Conclusion
How often have we seen series stumbling with season 2, be it Sacred Games or even Mirzapur. Well the jinx has been broken! The Family Man Season 2 is bigger and better than season 1. It is probably the best series of 2021 so far! Available on Amazon Prime and Highly Highly Highly Recommended! Be prepared to be blown away!