Family Man 3: 'Thank God, We Didn't Delay Too Much'

'Sometimes, four years is too much. People forget.'
'But whenever we posted on social media about any other show or film, we received a hundred questions immediately.'
People are very interested.'
'Now when the trailer came out, people are really looking forward to it.'

After four years, Director Raj and DK bring out the third season of The Family Man.

"It is obviously a little different from the first two seasons," Priyamani says.

"The family is more involved in this; we are also going to Kohima. But I can't tell you more," she adds.

In the series, Manoj Bajpayee plays Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man leading a double life as an intelligence officer for the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC), a fictional division of the National Investigation Agency.

"That's why it took us four and a half years to do this. We are not the sequel kind of people. We usually move on to the next new story, so this is the hardest challenge for us: To write a third season," Raj Nidimoru says.

"And how do you keep it fresh? That's why it took us so long. Even to create the antagonists in the series, it took a very long time," he said.

Earlier in June, the makers unveiled the first glimpse of the show, and confirmed the inclusion of new faces like Jaideep Ahlawat and Nimrat Kaur.

Returning in pivotal roles this season are Priyamani (Suchitra Tiwari), Sharib Hashmi (JK Talpade), Ashlesha Thakur (Dhriti Tiwari), and Vedant Sinha (Atharv Tiwari), among others.

Raj shared how the series is different in terms of characters and storyline.

"The texture is different. Even the characters have progressed quite a bit. Manoj and Priya, it's very difficult to do the same character and be fresh again. So they have done an excellent job to push the characters more. Jaideep and Nimrat have induced the external freshness needed for the series," he says.

"Sometimes, four years is too much. People forget. We were aware of that," Krishna DK says.

"Even Amazon was saying that you are coming after four years, what will the reaction be? But whenever we posted on social media about any other show or film, we received a hundred questions immediately. When is Family Man 3 coming? That kept our hope alive. People are very interested. Now when the trailer came out, people are really looking forward to it. It makes me very happy, thank God, that we did not delay too much."

"I have not played such a part in India till date," Nimrat Kaur says of her antagonist role.

"I think in life, what is called a femme fatale, we do not know the backstory of it. Where is she coming from? Why is it like this? I think the screen time of Meera is crisply placed. What are her motivations? Why is she connected to this world? It is a very odd placement for a woman to be running a show which mostly a man would. Such a character is generally very suave, suited, with a James Bond kind of feel.

"I used to feel that I hope I can do justice to how ruthless she is,"

Manoj Bajpayee described the atmosphere on set as 'very good'.

"Eight years means we have spent a lot of time together," Bajpayee says.

"In a way, I wouldn't call it a family. It has evolved into a group where you can start whenever you meet. One good thing about Family Man is that not only me, but all the cast members want the next one to start soon. They want to go on set soon. There is never a time when you feel exhausted doing this.

"You always feel that this time, we will do something new again. We will meet these people again. There is always a nostalgia with which you are living," he added.

Directed by Raj & DK, the third instalment of the high-stakes spy action-thriller series marks the return of the iconic spy, Srikant Tiwari, played by Manoj Bajpayee, who is on the run along with his family after he was labelled as the 'most wanted man' in the country.

Bajpayee elaborated on his approach to reprising his role as Shrikant Tiwari: "There is no need for freshness. It's a character you inhabit. A lot has happened in Shrikant Tiwari's life over the past four-five years. From where the story starts, you get to know what all has happened in his life. What is going to happen next is in the script. So on the basis of that, you start seeing things in a new light. To remind yourself what exactly the fundamentals of Shrikant Tiwari is, you watch one episode of the first season, one or two episodes of the second season... After that, you enter a different journey," he explains.

The third season introduces us to new adversaries in the form of Jaideep Ahlawat, who plays a drug smuggler in the North East.

While talking about his character, Rukma, Ahlawat says, "The preparation is the same in every way, and a big part is in the script. All the logic is there, all the emotions are there.

"I remember when I met Raj & DK sir for the first time, the way they explained to Rukma, the kind of a person he is and why he is the way he is... you keep all these things in mind. When you keep reading or asking yourself, why is this or why is that, you become an expert. And when the team is good, you don't have much tension."

Bajpayee praises the cast, especially Jaideep Ahlawat and Nimrat Kaur.

"They are new, known faces, and very talented," he says.

"Seeing them in the trailer or poster, I am seeing a new excitement in the viewers. It's also because of these two," he says.

The Family Man 3 will start streaming from November 21 on Amazon Prime Video.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff