SEASON 1
I wasn't too keen to watch the show when the trailer came out, simply because it had no popular stars. I thought it would be another boring action drama series. I was more interested in watching 'The Bard of Blood', simply because it was being produced by Shah Rukh Khan. After watching both shows, I got my lesson that one must show more respect towards actors because stars don't really have a lot of respect for story and screenplay. Despite being part of popular films like Satya and Gangs of Wasseypur, Manoj Bajpayee had been reduced to doing small budget films which no one bothered to watch. Just imagine, having the acting talent rarely found in anyone across the country, and yet nobody cares about your existence. That was the plight of actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi till recently. These actors deserve an apology from us, because some of their best years got wasted away waiting for us to notice them.
Thankfully, the audience has now evolved and now we want to see good stories on the screen, not just actors and actresses dancing around the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland. With the advent of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix in India, everything has changed. Now the stories that could not find theatres have found a new home. It's shocking to know that Indian writers were capable of writing such good stuff but were never really given the opportunity or freedom to do so.
Right in the first episode you are stunned by the fabulous acting on display by the legend who goes by the name of Manoj Bajpayee. Watching Manoj is like having a masterclass in acting in which you come across a wide range of emotions and expressions. Manoj doesn't play a character, he becomes the character. The screenplay of the show doesn't give you any time to feel bored, the proceedings of the episode keep you completely engaged and excited to know what might happen next. I never expected an Indian show to be so fast paced, we are used to watching shows that take 5 hours to tell a story that could have been told in one.
Manoj is not alone, as far as good acting is concerned. Raj and DK have not just put together a well written screenplay but also managed to bring together North India and South India with this show. The role of Manoj's wife has been played by Priyamani, a popular actress in the South Film Industry, and she creates an impact right from the first scene making you realize how good an actress she is. There is a long argument scene between the two in one of the episodes, it's bound to give you a lot of stress, but the thing to note is how well the two have acted in it. Kannada actor Kishore Kumar, who plays the role of Pasha, looks extremely convincing as the Force One Commando and has some of the most exciting action sequences. Malayalam actor Neeraj Madhav playing the role of the mysterious Moosa keeps you guessing throughout about the side he is on. The Family Man has a fantastic ensemble of actors in which not just the adults but also the children surprise you with their confident and polished performances.
Right from the first episode, you realize that the show has a lot of humour in it. It was an unexpected surprise and I loved every bit of it. Even comedy films and shows are unable to provide you with the kind of comic relief that 'The Family Man does. I really like this concept and hope that more shows/films get inspired from this. Raj and DK also deserve a lot of praise for showing things that no other Indian filmmaker had the courage to show. The things happening around us in the social and political space are not unknown to anyone but we don't really want to talk about it. Raj and DK are made of something else I guess, because they have gone ahead and showed us the mirror, one that we just didn't want to see.
A key criticism I have for the show is their decision to end on a cliffhanger. It was a very poor choice of cliffhanger. A second season was announced, a trailer had to come out so obviously everyone survived. Then what's the point of having that kind of cliffhanger ? A cliffhanger should tease the direction the next season would take, it shouldn't be used in a way that leaves the story incomplete.
The Family Man is a fast paced action thriller, with great acting and plenty of humour as well. This is easily the best web series to have come out of India and is a must watch for everyone.
I wasn't too keen to watch the show when the trailer came out, simply because it had no popular stars. I thought it would be another boring action drama series. I was more interested in watching 'The Bard of Blood', simply because it was being produced by Shah Rukh Khan. After watching both shows, I got my lesson that one must show more respect towards actors because stars don't really have a lot of respect for story and screenplay. Despite being part of popular films like Satya and Gangs of Wasseypur, Manoj Bajpayee had been reduced to doing small budget films which no one bothered to watch. Just imagine, having the acting talent rarely found in anyone across the country, and yet nobody cares about your existence. That was the plight of actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi till recently. These actors deserve an apology from us, because some of their best years got wasted away waiting for us to notice them.
Thankfully, the audience has now evolved and now we want to see good stories on the screen, not just actors and actresses dancing around the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland. With the advent of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix in India, everything has changed. Now the stories that could not find theatres have found a new home. It's shocking to know that Indian writers were capable of writing such good stuff but were never really given the opportunity or freedom to do so.
Right in the first episode you are stunned by the fabulous acting on display by the legend who goes by the name of Manoj Bajpayee. Watching Manoj is like having a masterclass in acting in which you come across a wide range of emotions and expressions. Manoj doesn't play a character, he becomes the character. The screenplay of the show doesn't give you any time to feel bored, the proceedings of the episode keep you completely engaged and excited to know what might happen next. I never expected an Indian show to be so fast paced, we are used to watching shows that take 5 hours to tell a story that could have been told in one.
Manoj is not alone, as far as good acting is concerned. Raj and DK have not just put together a well written screenplay but also managed to bring together North India and South India with this show. The role of Manoj's wife has been played by Priyamani, a popular actress in the South Film Industry, and she creates an impact right from the first scene making you realize how good an actress she is. There is a long argument scene between the two in one of the episodes, it's bound to give you a lot of stress, but the thing to note is how well the two have acted in it. Kannada actor Kishore Kumar, who plays the role of Pasha, looks extremely convincing as the Force One Commando and has some of the most exciting action sequences. Malayalam actor Neeraj Madhav playing the role of the mysterious Moosa keeps you guessing throughout about the side he is on. The Family Man has a fantastic ensemble of actors in which not just the adults but also the children surprise you with their confident and polished performances.
Right from the first episode, you realize that the show has a lot of humour in it. It was an unexpected surprise and I loved every bit of it. Even comedy films and shows are unable to provide you with the kind of comic relief that 'The Family Man does. I really like this concept and hope that more shows/films get inspired from this. Raj and DK also deserve a lot of praise for showing things that no other Indian filmmaker had the courage to show. The things happening around us in the social and political space are not unknown to anyone but we don't really want to talk about it. Raj and DK are made of something else I guess, because they have gone ahead and showed us the mirror, one that we just didn't want to see.
A key criticism I have for the show is their decision to end on a cliffhanger. It was a very poor choice of cliffhanger. A second season was announced, a trailer had to come out so obviously everyone survived. Then what's the point of having that kind of cliffhanger ? A cliffhanger should tease the direction the next season would take, it shouldn't be used in a way that leaves the story incomplete.
The Family Man is a fast paced action thriller, with great acting and plenty of humour as well. This is easily the best web series to have come out of India and is a must watch for everyone.