Manoj Bajpayee is one of the most versatile and underrated actors in our country. He is considered as a method actor and a director’s actor. He is appreciated for his distinct style of acting and unconventional roles in movies as Shool, Satya, Gangs of Wasseypur and Aligarh to name a few which are still etched in the minds of the audience.
The versatile actor is all set to make his web debut with ‘The Family Man’ on Amazon Prime. The show is created and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. The story revolves around central character Srikant Tiwari who is a World Class Spy and the role is being played by none other than Manoj Bajpayee.
His character lives a dual life of a dotting family man and a spy but at the same time trying to balance both the worlds. We get to see that like any doting father he drops his children to the school and at the same buys groceries from the local market. His wife is unaware that her husband job profile and isn’t aware he is an intelligence officer at the National Investigation Agency. The Spy major work comprises of stopping terror attacks and undertaking tense crisis discussions.
The show creator Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K has beautifully crafted the story and gives an insight into how an intelligence agency works in the Sub Continent. Srikant Tiwari can be seen in his shirt tucked out and his mobile phone continuously ringing and finding trying straddling both professional and personal life.
During the interaction, Baaghi 2 revealed the reason to be part of this specific project and was quoted saying that “Spies are the biggest actors. They will tell a lie no common man can catch. Srikant Tiwari, in that sense, is a difficult character. He’s somebody even the police can’t understand. At no point can they make out if he is bluffing or being truthful.”
He further added that “Regardless of that, I must add that because of OTT platforms, genuine talent is getting consumed. It’s so disheartening to see actors who are struggling and auditioning but not getting their due. Today, as a result of the content boom, there’s a willingness among casting directors and filmmakers to reach out to people with potential.”
He further added that “Regardless of that, I must add that because of OTT platforms, genuine talent is getting consumed. It’s so disheartening to see actors who are struggling and auditioning but not getting their due. Today, as a result of the content boom, there’s a willingness among casting directors and filmmakers to reach out to people with potential.”
The show was extensively shot Delhi, Kochi, Kashmir, and Ladakh. This is Manoj’s debut digital series and joins the likes Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pankaj Tripathi have already made a mark in this space with shows such as Mirzapur and Sacred Games.
One of the show creators of the show also gave an insight into their decision to make their debut in the OTT platforms and said that “We wanted to showcase the vibrancy of India through this format. You will hear six languages on the show, including Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kashmiri, and Pashto. Unlike a film, it’s the availability of subtitles on streaming sites that made such a venture possible.”
The family Man has a huge start consisting of actors – Sharib Hashmi (Filmistaan) as Srikant’s partner J.K. Talpade, Neeraj Madhav (Lavakusha) as ISIS recruit Moosa Rehman, debutants Mehek Thakur and Vedant Sinha as the elder and younger Tiwari siblings Dhriti and Atharv, Shahab Ali (Kedarnath) as Sajid, Pawan Chopra (Airlift) as Srikant’s boss Mr. Sharma, Shreya Dhanwanthary (Ladies Room) as new agent Zoya, Sharad Kelkar (Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai) as Suchitra’s former colleague Arvind, Dalip Tahil (Mission Mangal) as Srikant’s mentor Kulkarni, Kishore Kumar G. (Haridas) as Mumbai Police’s Force One officer Pasha, Mir Sarwar (Kesari) as Faizan, and Gul Panag (Dor) as Srinagar NIA officer Saloni Bhatt.
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