Besides Manoj Bajpayee as Srikant Tiwari, the upcoming season will also bring back Priyamani (Suchitra Tiwari), Sharib Hashmi (JK Talpade), and Ashlesha Thakur (Dhriti Tiwari) among others.
“As Srikant races against time, the stakes escalate as he needs to outmaneuver a formidable adversary and protect his country and its sovereignty." - Raj & DK
'The Family Man', without an iota of doubt, is one of the most beloved web shows in India. It is a cultural phenomenon now, and its influence is evident almost everywhere from hilarious memes to online discussions and more. The previous two seasons were massive successes, and fans have been eagerly awaiting its third season for a long, speculating theory after theory on what could lie ahead. Well, the wait is almost over as the makers have finally kicked off shooting for the upcoming instalment.
(Credit: primevideoin)
But you ever wondered what makes 'The Family Man' so brilliant? Of course, it's Raj and DK who hold a brilliant mastery over the craft of storytelling. And although it's primarily a raw espionage thriller, there are plenty of funny moments that leave you laughing out loud. However, the heart of the show is its protagonist, Srikant Tiwari, played by the unparalleled Manoj Bajpayee. The actor carries the entire show on his shoulder, keeping us on the edge of our seats throughout. As the renowned critic Raja Sen wrote in his review, "Bajpayee is alone reason enough to keep watching ‘The Family Man’."
(Credit: Prime Video India)
While we can't imagine anyone else as Srikant Tiwari - the "middle-class man and world-class spy" - did you know he wasn't the first choice for the role? And what's more interesting is when the actor was approached finally for the same, he turned it down!
Yes, Manoj Bajpayee wasn't the first choice to play the role of Srikant Tiwari. According to some reports, Raj and DK wrote the script keeping Tollywood megastar Chiranjeevi in mind. In fact, producer Ashwini Dutt shared in an interview that the show was initially conceptualized as a Telugu film.
Chiranjeevi rejected 'The Family Man' as he was busy shooting for 'Khiladi No 150' at that time. On the other hand, he didn't want to play a father to two children on the screen. Although Raj and DK were ready to change the script, Chiranjeevi still didn't agree to be a part of it.
The role then went to Manoj Bajpayee, and the rest, as they say, is history!
'The Family Man' turned out to be a game-changer in Bajpayee's career. However, he had actually rejected it initially.
In one of his interviews, the actor shared, "Mukesh Chhabra called that Raj and DK want to meet you to narrate a series. I was like, yaar, I have seen these web series; it’s all about s*x, violence, and thrill. I may not be interested. But he assured me that it’s a very different one. Also, there was news that Akshaye Khanna was doing this show, and since I do not like taking other actors’ work, I said if that’s true, even if I like the project, I will not do it.”
(Credit: Prime Video India)
"But Mukesh was adamant that it was not the case, and I went to meet them the next day. With the 20 minutes of narration they gave, I was totally sold. In that brief meeting, I could see myself becoming the character and also the kind of freedom I would get to play it the way I want to.”
So, on a scale from 1 to 10, how excited are you for 'The Family Man 3'?
