The Family Man 2 Review: Entertains in Bits and Pieces!

The Family Man 2, the continuation of the highly successful and critically acclaimed Indian Amazon Prime Video original, stars the same recurring cast with Manoj Bajpayee and Priya Mani in the primary roles and Sharib Hashmi in a supporting role. This time, however, the main antagonist role is portrayed by Samantha Akkineni, who is a household name in Southern India, and a powerhouse talent well-known for her performances in Majili, Oh! Baby and many more.

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The storyline of The Family Man 2 begins a few months after the incidents of the first season as Srikant’s family life keeps falling apart in front of his eyes, despite him starting an IT job and doing everything in his control to maintain things at a normal rate. On the other hand, after a few decisive turnarounds, a war brews between India and the Sri Lankan government in exile when they do not agree on a few political conditions. So, the rest of the show explores how or if Srikant gets involved in this situation and how he manages to stop it.

Similar to the first season, The Family Man 2 balances both sides of the narrative remarkably. Firstly, there is this family drama side that involves his kids, wife, and friends, which, in my opinion, is the most engaging part of the show. The main characters were given enough attention to prolong from one phase to another and were equally treated throughout the show.

Be it the brewing tension and discomfort between Srikant and Suchi, the already rocky relationship with their kids, and, especially Srikant’s sinking mental health problems. Every single one of these primary plot points of the show were narrated splendidly through high-impact and well-written scenes that played a vital role in keeping The Family Man 2 interesting, at least for me.

On the other side, the “thriller” aspect of the show had real problems from the get-go, and I had zero interest to watch how it pans out because by now, I’ve seen way too many TV shows with a similar plot, and I’m well aware of every possibility of how the show creators could wrap up the climax. Now, with Season 3 already set up, Raj and DK had to dig deeper and find more original ways to narrates these stories as the entire schtick of “saving the country” and “stopping the threat at the very last minute” is getting boring, real quick.

Also, similar to Season 1, The Family Man 2 never improves when it comes to maintaining a steady pace and structuring the episode length properly, as there are quite a few moments where the storyline stalls and refuses to move to the next point. However, the action scenes which had that high-intensity feel in the first season once again boast the energy levels of the show with authentic, well-shot, and no-nonsense sequences, which is impressive, particularly for a television series.

Onto the performances, Manoj Bajpayee once again elevates the show to a higher standard with his excellent performance, and at this point, there is nothing this man cannot do. His chemistry with Sharib Hashmi, and his kids, played by Ashlesha Thakur and Vedant Sinha, also shine bright throughout the show, which once again solidifies my argument that the emotional side of the show is much better to watch.

And that brings me to the next big star of the show, Samantha Akkineni. Now, as far as her performance goes, she never disappoints in even a single frame and portrays her “Silent Assasin” role perfectly. But, the entire spiel of using extra make-up to make her look tanned and dark-skinned could’ve been avoided, especially in 2021. There are quite a few dark-skinned actors from the South who could’ve fit the role perfectly well, but watching Samantha go through the entire show in some make-up which didn’t seem natural, bothered me quite a bit.

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Overall, The Family Man 2 keeps it real and entertaining in regards to the “family” side of the show. The characters were developed really well, and there are quite a few scenes in the show, which are emotionally rich and decently written. However, there is nothing new this show offers to keep you invested in the “thriller” side of proceedings. If this is the same exact approach they intend to take even in the third season, I’m positive that the appeal of the show will get real old very soon. Watch ‘The Family Man 2’ on Prime Video here.

Rating – 3.25/5 | Grade – B

Images via Amazon Prime Video