We read stories almost everyday about some incidents happening around us in newspapers but never think of what it could mean collectively. Raj & D.K. did exactly that. They spun a story out of newspaper clippings and made it into a entertaining spy thriller. Indian television lacks original stories when it comes to thrillers. Most of them in the past have been a rip-off of Hollywood thrillers. This series only ripped-off the title from a Hollywood movie, The Family Man (2000) starring Nicolas Cage. The rest is original.
The script written for the title is about a middle class man who barely meet his ends through a government job and constantly gets a grin from his wife and sarcasm from children. His dedication to work is often mocked by his family. Only twist is that our protagonist works for a government intelligence agency, T.A.S.C., which supports R.A.W (Research and Analysis Wing) and I.B. (Intelligence Bureau) in some ways. This gives ample space for bringing those newspaper clippings to life.
Only caution is that you don’t try to figure out the story. The newspaper clippings have not been spun according to the timeline. The incidents have been collated and spun at the whims of the makers. So, you won’t get an idea of what’s coming next. Bhopal Gas Tragedy is being intertwined with the ISIS linked terrorist found in Kochi. That’s completely out of the timeline. I’m not sure if it will make or break it in the upcoming season. Or, the makers will try to spin a completely different story out of it.
Script aside the acting has been relatively weak or doesn’t fit perfectly with the characters. I find some characters overacting at times and some underacting. Kids have done their part well. Manoj Bajpayee does manage to do his job well (acting wise). The weakest link in acting are the terrorists. Not sure if it has something to do with the actors or the character development. Though Sacred Games Season 2 is relatively weak and lacks the thrill, I quite liked the character development in Sacred Games Season 1. If compared, the season 2 of Sacred Games is at par with season 1 of The Family Man. The comic angle is the only working factor that propels the show further and frankly much ahead of Sacred Games Season 2. I, like many, would be happy to see these kind of terrorists in real life who would lack the skills to execute the plan.
Raj & D.K. have been known for their comic take in movies. In Go Goa Gone, they started well but ended it all of a sudden in the climax. They improved their climax scene with the movie Stree a bit more I guess. Both movies had that refreshing take on the comic angle. This series too in ways tries to capture that. Manoj Bajpayee has been given the responsibility for interesting takes and humor and the terrorists have been deliberately made to look weak in front of him.
In my personal opinion, watch the first four episodes and skip to ninth and tenth episode to get the closure. Then wait for season 2. I hope it might surprise us.