“The response to The Family Man season 2, is so massive and amazing…it is unbelievable” – Manoj Bajpayee

By Subhash K. Jha -

June 8, 2021 - 9:52 AM IST

The Family Man Season 2 comes to us after months of suspense ... how has the response been so far?
Oh yes, it was delayed by a few months. But eventually it is now with the people. The response is so massive and amazing, so superlative…it is unbelievable! And the response is so remarkable that it is there for everyone to see. It’s a kind of response that we as a team are shell-shocked by. Can an OTT series really connect so well with the audience? Within just a day they had binge-watched the entire season 2. And now they are asking for Season 3! Which is so remarkable and overwhelming for us. I don’t think we’ve seen success like this before. At least I haven’t.

“The response to The Family Man season 2, is so massive and amazing…it is unbelievable” – Manoj Bajpayee

There were some apprehensions after the trailer about the sensitivities of Tamilians. What do you have to say to those who had jumped the gun?
We knew that once the series starts streaming no one would have any problem. The apprehensions were not true. We always knew it is a human story with a lot empathy for every character. I am glad to see everyone has calmed down, all the apprehensions are forgotten. And the brilliance of Raj and DK’s vision is being appreciated.

The Family Man is by now one of the most successful OTT franchise did you expect this kind of success for it?
Everyone who is involved in the making of a series or a film hopes for optimum success. Sometimes you succeed sometimes you don’t. But every project is a learning curve. We never thought The Family Man franchise would be so stupendous. And that it would attain a true crossover status. But you know me, Subhash. Whether it is failure or success, I don’t lose my head. I don’t get carried away by success. This is the way I’ve always been. I enjoy success. But I make a note of all things that I could do to better the next season. But yes, today as you talk to me it is time to celebrate and to thank my directors Raj-DK and Suparn Verma. I feel grateful to the magnificent actors and technicians.

You have an outstanding breakdown sequence with hour screen wife in Episode 6. How far did you delve into your own family life to play Srikant?
I definitely use my own experiences. But to say that Srikant’s interaction with his family has a direct bearing on my interaction with my own family would be wrong. Maybe I used ten percent of own experience. Otherwise I have created my own back story for Srikant and followed that. I think about all the aspects and then play the characters. There are traits in Srikant that are not me at all. When I am on the set everyone knows I think only about my character, trying to create the best version of my character. It is so much hard work. At the each day you are so exhausted you don’t know what to do with yourself.

High expectations for Season 3; what do you have to tell your drooling fans?
Audiences’ expectations are always there. It was there for Season 1 also when so much publicity was done. We live with it. Sometimes we fulfil them. Sometimes we don’t. Expectations are something we welcome and we will try to fulfil it to our best of abilities. But at the moment let’s not talk about Season 3. Let’s talk about the love and respect everyone is giving to Season2.

Your next?
Next I will be seen in one story of an anthology of stories entitled Ray which will stream on Netflix on June 25. It is an anthology of stories written by the great Satyajit Ray. My story is directed by one of my favourite directors Abhishek Choubey with whom I did Sonchiriya. I can’t wait to see the audiences’ reaction to this one.

Also Read: Memorable dialogues of The Family Man Season 2 – Part I