'The Family Man' season 2 review: Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha shine in a worthy sequel 

Sequels are always tricky to make. Successful films and series have often had a sequel and not all have been as impactful as the first one.  In recent years, with the advent of OTT in India, several shows have had subsequent seasons. Most often the makers have been able to present a unique story in the first season but the second season has fallen flat. Season 2 of 'The Family Man' fortunately doesn't fall in that category. Lead by Manoj Bajpayee, who reprises his role as Intelligence officer Srikanth Tiwary, the second season delivers an exciting, engaging thriller and beautifully weaves in the story from the first season throughout 9 episodes. 

After a successful yet emotionally daunting stint in Kashmir, Srikant (Bajpayee)takes voluntary retirement from TASC to spend more time with his family. He takes up a regular 9-5 job at an IT firm and tries to be the doting father and loving husband that his family has always desired him to be. While life seems to be perfect, Srikant has major 'FOMO' as his colleague and special agent Talpade(Sharib Hashmi) points out. He always more keen to know what new mission the TASC is on. 

The TASC is in fact, assigned on a very dangerous mission that takes some of its decorated officers including Talpade to Chennai. They first land in Chennai to et Subbu, one of the key leaders of the Lankan government in exile. As Subbu is taken for a court hearing, he is killed in a blast and Talpade realises that things are murkier than what appears. As he seeks help from Srikant to get key information about the rebels in Exile, he also asks his friend to join back TASC. Frustrated with his mundane life, and his marriage which at the point of breaking down- Srikant returns to TASC and eventually heads to Chennai to thwart a deadly mission that is being led by one of the most trained commanders of the rebels, Raji (Samantha Akkineni). 

The second season takes time to pick up the pace. Much like Srikant's new life, the pace is slow and makers take ample time to set the plot and introduce new characters. But once Srikant joins back TASC, the story steadily picks up the pace and gets its groove back. 

There is so much to appreciate about 'The Family Man'. For starters, the writing is top-notch with a  very detailed screenplay. With sly humour and lots of thrilling sequences, 'The Family Man' season 2 is engrossing. Much like the first season, the new season has some incredible actors playing key roles. Bajpayee, one of the most gifted actor's of our times, makes his character stand out. With wit and charm- Bajpayee anchors this season as well and one can't have enough of Srikant Tiwary. He dominates almost every frame but it's the scenes with his onscreen son that put a smile on one's face. Playing his confidante and colleague Talpade, Sharib Hashmi is equally good. Srikant and Talpade can go down in history as popular onscreen pair in the coming years. 

Actors like Dalip Tahil, Vipin Sharma, Seema Biswas, Priya Mani are all cast well and pitch perfect in their roles. 

Making her debut in digital, Telugu star Samantha Akkineni swells as Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamil exiled in Chennai who is out to seek revenge from the Lankan army for killing her family. The star sinks her teeth in the character and delivers a restraint yet a powerful performance and performance some awe-inspiring action stunts. This is a role that Samantha has never done before and it's a delight to watch her play the character with negative shades to it. 

Much like the first season, 'The Family Man' season 2 uses local actors and language (in this case Tamil) to play supporting roles giving the series an authentic feel. Samantha's dialogues are mostly in Tamil, while Bajpayee and Hashmi speaking Mumbai Hindi. The Tamil actors only speak in Hindi when they are conversing with North Indian characters in the show-unlike how Bollywood projects regional characters are mere caricatures. 

One has to be slightly patient with 'The Family Man' S 2. The first few episodes lack the thrill or the humour that had captivated the audience attention in the first season from the beginning. Be patient because the story gets intriguing mid-way and the narrative piques at the climax. 

Does it do justice to the first season? Yes, and weaves in beautifully an intricate, complex tale without taking sides. You can binge-watch 'The Family Man' season 2 on Amazon Prime Video.