Seeking The light·3y

Raj and DK's Family Man Season 2 manages to live up to the lofty standards set by an incredible season 1, that set the mark for 'Indianized' espionage thrillers. Manoj Bajpayee continues in the same rich vein from season 1, as 'Srikant Tiwary', an everyman middle-class bloke who lives a secret double life as a highly trained government agent. Combining dry wit and humour with impeccably shot action sequences, Family Man beautifully straddles both the thriller as well as comedy genres. I completely disagree with the makers' choice of going with Samantha instead of a naturally duskier actress to portray an ex LTTE fighter. But the actress from 'Super Deluxe' has grabbed the opportunity and clearly, put her heart and soul into the character. Samantha excels in the action sequences and the emotional scenes, making the audience connect with the character's motivations and personal struggles. The core success of the Family Man franchise has always been the human element. Be it the delightful friendship between Srikant and JK (played by the terrific Sharib Hashmi) to Srikant's fractious marriage to Suchi (a sublime Priya Mani), Raj and DK have replicated and added more delectable layers to the elements that made Season 1 such a trendsetter. Despite a slow beginning, Season 2 builds up its manifold elements like a jigsaw puzzle, and gives us a true masterpiece at the end. Highly recommended. Season 3 is apparently on the cards, with Srikant and gang up against the Chinese apparently, Cant wait!