Rusty, but spy’s still got spark

Over two seasons of The Family Man, Manoj Bajpayee has portrayed his role of Srikant Tiwari with such honesty that it's impossible to imagine anyone else in his place. But as he began filming the spy thriller's third edition earlier this month, the actor admits that reprising his role didn't come easy. "This time, there was a very long gap [between the two seasons]. It took me three days to remind myself who Srikant is," says the actor.

Srikant, the unassuming undercover agent juggling family life and national security, is the backbone of the series that also stars Priyamani and Sharib Hashmi. While a significant portion of the upcoming instalment is said to be set in the north-east, creator-director duo Raj-DK kicked off the shoot in Mumbai. Though initially nervous, Bajpayee says he reconnected with the character after spending a few days with the creators and his co-stars.

"When we started the second season, it was easy. There was no gap between the first two seasons. Srikant was still there in me. But here, I was going back after doing many films and a show. It was nerve-wracking, I was panicking. But when I started talking to Raj-DK and my co-actors, I began to feel a little easy. Now, I am getting the hang of it."