Family Man (Season 2) - Review

Family Man - Season 2

Bottom Line : Is Family Man Season 2, better than Season 1 ? You bet it is !

So here is one rare sequel, that is far better than the first one. The story writer & directors have used a much larger canvas to paint an intriguing narrative. While FM 1, dealt with a stereotypical, arch enemy Pakistan & ISI, FM 2 digs deeper & flirts with the sensitive issue of the Tamil rebels of Sri Lanka. The director skillfully tries to balance the empathy towards the rebels without justifying the violence. None of the characters are black or white, rather, each one has different shades of grey. Be it Srikant, who is grappling with the blood of innocents on his hands or Raji whose life has been traumatized by the Sri Lankan army and has led her to be the highly skilled rebel operative or even Suchi, who is grappling with her emotions of what could be a possible transgression in Season 1.

So Srikant, our middle class James Bond, decides to hang his super hero cape and be the regular Clarke Kent and even opts for a 9 to 5 job. An effort to bring some spend time with his family & in the process bring some stability into his breaking marriage. However, his heart still beats for action and his friend JK is the only thread that allows him to maintain his sanity, at least for the time being. Right on cue, he heads back to his old TASC unit, jumping right into the thick of action.

Though, one cannot call out FM 2, as an out and out, edge of the seat entertainment, a binge watch cannot be ruled out either. As the name suggests, the central character is walking a tight rope between his family and his high octane work life. This leads to various sub plots and characters which in their own way, add a wonderful flavor. The intermeshed sub plots are intricately woven into the main story and each character has been finely sculpted.

Younger son Atharva, is the goofy kid who oscillates his hobbies from hypnosis to musical instruments. Older daughter, Dhriti is growing up in her mid-teens and tries to find some solace in her newfound boyfriend. Mutthu as the member of TASC in Chennai is the bridge between the locals of Tamil Nadu & the Hindi speaking Srikant & JK, has his moments. Suchi, lacks the oomph of Season 1 & looks tired & jaded but that could be explained in the guilt that she is carrying inside of her. JK excels once again & his cheerful disposition even in trying circumstances is a joy to watch. Manoj Bajpayee, breathes life & fire in the character of Srikant. However, its Samantha as Raji who steals the thunder. She has hardly any dialogues in the entire 9 episode series, but her facial expression and cold eyes are enough to send a bone chilling feeling. Her transformation from a silent oppressed victim who is sexually harassed at work & groped in buses, to that of a beast unleashed in matter of seconds is the scene to watch for.

One finds humour at the most unexpected of places and perhaps that is the reason why the entire story chugs along so smoothly. The mannerisms of Srikant’s young entrepreneur boss, the clichés used by the marriage counselor, Srikant’s meltdown at both these places or JK’s “Pushpa I hate tears”, while on the hospital bed have their moments. Cinematic touches are very poignant and nuanced. Srikant looking out through a glass while his reflection is looking in the other direction, clearly depicts his conflict between right & wrong. Action sequences are amazingly captured. In a digital age, instead of using tech wizardry, it is almost as if the cameraman is running alongside the characters. In this way, you don’t see the action but feel as if you are right into the middle of it, huffing & puffing away.

If one has to be critical, 2 things come to mind. After 9 good episodes, the climax is very anti climatic. Surely, when they were so brilliant throughout the 7 to 8 hours, they could have come up with a much better, slicker tighter finish. The last 15 minutes is almost like a sour dessert after a great buffet. In order to make the “movie” authentic, Tamil is spoken in liberal doses. Sub-titles help but am not sure how it will fly with the Season 1 fan base or the masses in general. A rolling credits for the actual "TASC" or RAW agents on the awards & other mentions would have given good credibility and an appreciation for their selfless devotion, which goes largely unrecognised

Speaking of credits, special mention to young director Suparn Verma who directs the meaty 5 episodes of this engrossing drama. Lets the characters breathe magic into the story !

YZen rating : 4 of 5 stars