“Don’t be a minimum guy!” This was an advice given to Srikant Tiwari and boy was he so far from one! Some stories are interesting at the idea stage; they become even better when put down on paper, but when the right actors are cast to bring those words to life, they get elevated. And that’s what Manoj Bajpayee did—breathed life into the character of Srikant Tiwari. The sheer range of emotions, passion and vulnerability Bajpayee infused into this character is galvanic. He turned Srikant Tiwari into your next-door neighbour you’d never suspect of being an undercover spy.
In Season 1, the one facet I and our creators Raj and DK were excited to explore was Bajpayee’s comedy chops. He had thus far been associated with intense, angst-ridden characters, so the biggest challenge and opportunity was to leverage both his comic timing and the intense action. Like always, he delivered with immense flair—his deadpan humour and incredible timing, melded together, created the soul of Srikant Tiwari. A versatile actor, Bajpayee has the ability to get into the character’s skin—he literally transforms himself physically for every role, making the viewing experience visceral. The sensitivity with which he portrays Srikant’s constant battle to find harmony between personal and professional life is so intensely relatable—while the exterior is calm, the tension is bubbling under the surface, tightly coiled and never overtly expressed, but look closely and you see it in an oblique glance, a slight downturn of the lip. Bajpayee’s biggest achievement as Srikant is he manages to humanise a spy. He perfectly balances ferocity and subtlety.
What makes Srikant Tiwari a cult icon and The Family Man the most loved show of 2021? Well, it all begins with the story! The creators have crafted a gripping tale about a world-class spy who is also a simple middle-class man, struggling to strike the work-life harmony, like most of us. On one hand, he has to thwart a terrifying attack; on the other, he has to save his flickering marriage and deal with the emotional toll it takes on his children. There is also an angst-ridden, fiery yet vulnerable, nemesis raising the stakes. These contradictions and a multi-layered narrative have made The Family Man a show that has found resonance not just in India, but across the world. The emotional heft, frame-breaking immediacy, feeling of discovery and lightness Bajpayee brings to the character make Srikant a cult icon.
What we are witnessing today is nothing short of a creative renaissance in India. To be able to tell authentic and compelling stories entrenched in our soil is liberating—not just for content creators, but also for the audiences. These stories are enabling cultural conversations, online and offline. It is no longer just entertainment; it has become popular culture.
At Prime Video, we are trying to break the proverbial glass ceiling and create content that can transcend all barriers of age and language, with characters that resonate with audiences. With The Family Man, we tried to experiment with an entirely new genre that brought in elements of family drama, humour and a spy thriller. It was a risk, but I am glad it has paid off so handsomely. The incredible fandom characters like Srikant Tiwari, Kaleen Bhaiya or Tara Khanna enjoy has affected a small but significant change in the ecosystem—the Indian consumer is now cheering for stories and performances over star-power and formula storytelling. This has encouraged actors like Vikrant Massey and Ali Fazal (Mirzapur), Siddhant Chaturvedi (Inside Edge), Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok), Abhishek Bachchan (Breathe Into The Shadows) and Samantha Akkineni (The Family Man) to experiment with newer genres. I remember Bajpayee telling me the way he got mobbed at an airport after The Family Man’s launch, by not just by young people but also kids and the elderly, was mind-boggling; he hadn’t experienced that kind of fandom in 25 years of his career. This sums up the magic of a powerful story.
(This appeared in the print edition as "The Magic of Srikant Tiwari")
(Views are personal)
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Aparna Purohit head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video, India
