24 September,2019 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
A still from The Family Man
I wouldn't fault Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK for borrowing heavily from James Cameron's True Lies. The 1994 film, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a meek salesman who was actually a covert spy, had boundless promise. With Raj and DK at the helm of the show, one can see how talented filmmakers can take a 25-year-old idea and create something as crackling as The Family Man.
Manoj Bajpayee leads the pack here as Srikant Tiwari, who strives for the respect of his family, struggles to achieve career goals, aims for better remuneration - all this while saving the country from the deadliest attacks possible. Bajpayee backs this well-crafted character with an effortless performance as the story takes him from Mumbai to Kashmir to Balochistan and back.
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An espionage thriller about a group of terrorists linked to the ISIS planning an attack deadlier than 26/11, the plot benefits from thorough research and inventive thinking. While it's nail-biting even if you know the terrain of thrillers well, the stellar ensemble cast only adds to it. Sharib Hashmi is in top form and Neeraj Madhav's character is so manipulative that even the sharpest will fall for his designs.
Commendably, the story - written by Raj, DK and Suman Kumar (with dialogues by Sumit Arora) - doesn't confuse religion with terrorism. Despite ample jihad talk in place, the narrative is balanced, bringing forth instances of majoritarian violence against Muslims. A Hindu leader spewing balderdash about gau-raksha and how that spearheads a chain of reactions examines the root cause of what imminently leads to terrorism.
Raj-DK's sharp writing deserves applause. In a scene set in Kashmir, a militant tells another with a laugh, "We used to send our messages via pigeons earlier. Three months ago, the BSF arrested one of our pigeons." There is this, and so much more to dig here. The season ends at a delicious hook point and we can't wait for the next season to drop.
Also Read: Malayalam actor Neeraj Madhav all set to make his digital debut with The Family Man
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