Serious Men Review: Entertains and Sheds Light on Significant Social Issues!

Lies, secrets, and the by-products that come with it is the theme of the Netflix Original Film, Serious Men, directed by Sudhir Mishra. More of a satirical depiction of the book of the same name by Manu Joseph, this film advances the long-awaited success trend Netflix is enjoying lately with its Original movies – Raat Akeli Hai, Gunjan Saxena, and Dolly Kitty. Serious Men Review

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Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Aakshath Das in the lead roles as the father and son duo, the story of Serious Men revolves focuses on Ayyan Mani, an office employee who is not well valued and often belittled by his boss on a daily basis. As a result, to make sure that at least his son does not face the same devalued fate as him, he puts together a master plan and lies to everyone that his son is a genius, and markets him as the next Einstein in the making. Serious Men Review

While him, and his son briefly enjoy the worldwide popularity that comes with this costly deceit, the remainder of the movie showcases how long or if the father and son can withhold their dirty little secret. Also starring Indira Tiwari, Nassar, and an impressive Shweta Basu Prasad as the talented supporting cast, the story and the way it is structured to begin, unfold and conclude is completely predictable from a million miles away. During the time the father and the son duo celebrate their extreme highs, your gut already tells you that it’s all going to come crashing down sooner than later.

However, even with a formularized ending, the four men writing team featuring Niren Bhatt, Nikhil Nair, Bhavesh Mandalia, and Abhijeet Khuman make sure that the 102-minute film cruises through at a rapid pace from the beginning to the end.

The entertainment factor is also one of the centerpieces throughout the narrative of Serious Men as the satirical comedy works, particularly the scenes between Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nassar, shine and provides a few much-needed tickles. Alongside the comedic aspects, the film also encompasses a couple of different themes, beginning with the dreadful caste system that still prevails in our Indian society. By not making it the focal point of the story, the film subtly showcases how the caste system affects a child’s education, a working man’s stature in the society, and how people belonging to the lower castes are automatically deemed as non-intelligent.

Consequently, Serious Men also highlights the mental trauma students face nowadays on a regular basis from the added pressure mounted by their friends, family, and the administration at school. Furthermore, the idea of life coming full circle is also incorporated sensibly as the movie concluded in a more thoughtful way rather than being ordinary. Director Sudhir Mishra, whose previous film, Daas Dev, failed critically and also commercially, did not miss the mark this time around and displayed his tremendous directorial skills inside and out.

Moving ahead, every character had an equally significant role to play, and the performances are top-notch from top to bottom. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the character of Ayyan Mani, a considerate father, a determined individual, and a complete contrast of the roles he played in the past.

His chemistry he shared with his on-screen son, Aakshath Das, radiates from start to finish, and together, their performances were one of the highlights of the film. On the technical side of things, the songs and the background music suit the quirky and the serious vibe of the narrative and are more situational for the most part.

Overall, Serious Men entertain through and through with its comedy and the engaging premise but, it also sheds light on a few imperative topics from social stratification to the increasing mental struggle of students and many more. Additionally, the performances and the remarkable direction by Sudhir Mishra also stand out as Netflix hits the ball out-of-the-park once again with its Original content. Watch ‘Serious Men’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Netflix