India's
own
James
Bond
(007)'
had
the
creators
and
talent
of
the
award-winning
Amazon
Original
Series
The
Family
Man
present.
The
show
has
been
a
catalyst
in
giving
birth
to
a
multi-faceted
genre
that
has
equal
amounts
of
action,
family
drama,
suspense,
emotions,
comedy,
and
more,
all
rolled
into
one.
The
global
appreciation
garnered
by
this
series
proves
that
viewers
have
an
insatiable
hunger
for
unique
and
unconventional,
yet
authentic
and
relatable
entertainment
that
resonates
deeply
with
their
own
culture
and
traditions
while
taking
them
on
a
flight
of
thrill
and
adventure.
Moderated
by
Ankur
Pathak,
the
interactive
and
insightful
Masterclass
had
the
dynamic
creators
of
the
show
-
Raj
Nidimoru
and
Krishna
DK,
popularly
known
as
Raj
&
DK,
Aparna
Purohit,
Head
of
India
Originals
at
Amazon
Prime
Video,
along
with
the
talented
cast
represented
by
Samantha
and
Manoj
Bajpayee.
The
hour-long
session
highlighted
the
power
of
authentic
storytelling
portrayed
through
realistic
incidents,
humour,
multi-layered
and
well-developed
characters.
It
also
brought
to
the
fore
the
in-depth
research
and
creative
process
that
went
into
bringing
to
life
a
powerful
narrative
making
The
Family
Man,
Amazon
Prime
Video's
most
viewed
Indian
Original
Series
both
in
and
outside
India.
Talking
about
her
initial
reaction
to
the
show
,
Aparna
Purohit,
Head
of
India
Originals,
Amazon
Prime
Video
India
said
"When
the
show
was
first
pitched
to
me
five
years
ago,
and
I
heard
the
character
of
Srikant
Tiwari,
I
realized
that
the
character
was
distilled
out
of
the
everyday
middle-class
man
that
people
could
easily
identify
with.
On
one
hand
he
is
trying
to
thwart
the
biggest
terror
plot
on
the
country
and
on
the
other,
he
is
travelling
in
the
local
train,
trying
to
sort
his
house
loan,
and
evading
demands
to
buy
the
latest
mobile
phone
for
his
kids.
It
was
this
duality
of
the
character
that
made
it
so
relatable,
and
the
story
so
exciting
that
it
had
to
be
told." Sharing
an
anecdote
after
the
launch
of
the
first
season,
Aparna
added,
"Incidentally,
when
our
colleagues
at
Prime
Video
Mexico
saw
The
Family
Man,
they
said
that
they
felt
Srikant
Tiwari
to
be
one
of
their
own.
And
that
goes
to
show
that
he
truly
is
a
quintessential
family
man
and
how
much
the
show
has
become
a
part
of
popular
culture."
Adding
to
Aparna's
views,
Raj
&
DK
shared,
"The
resounding
popularity
of
The
Family
Man
can
be
attributed
to
the
authenticity
and
realism
that
the
character
of
Srikant
Tiwari
is
rooted
in.
The
idea
of
this
character
came
from
observing
people
in
everyday
life
and
we
thought
that
if
James
Bond
was
from
Chembur,
how
would
he
be?"
Taking
up
the
narrative,
Raj
added,
"We
wanted
to
create
an
authentic
desi
Bond
-
a
common
man,
probably
underpaid,
juggling
numerous
family
obligations,
averse
to
risks,
under-appreciated
at
his
job,
and
definitely
an
unsung
hero
on
a
challenging
mission.
And
that
is
where
the
different
layers
of
the
character
of
Srikant
Tiwari
came
from."
When
asked
about
what
his
inspiration
or
reference
for
the
role
of
Srikant
Tiwari
was,
Manoj
Bajpayee
who
joined
the
Masterclass
virtually,
emphasized
the
character
by
saying,
"I
am
part
of
the
middle-class.
I
have
personally
experienced
so
much
of
Srikant
Tiwari's
life
myself
in
my
early
career.
I
didn't
need
a
reference
-
we
are
the
reference." He
went
on
to
say,
"When
the
role
of
Srikant
Tiwari
was
first
offered
to
me,
I
was
at
a
stage
in
my
career
where
I
was
looking
for
something
fresh
and
different.
When
Raj
&
DK
narrated
the
story
to
me,
I
was
sold
immediately,
and
that
is
where
my
journey
to
be
Srikant
Tiwari
started."
The
highly
versatile
actress,
Samantha,
shared
what
drove
her
to
essay
the
character
of
Raji.
She
said,
"As
an
actor,
I
always
want
to
push
my
boundaries
and
explore
unfamiliar
emotions.
Female
actors
tend
to
get
unidimensional
characters
and
there
is
this
fear
of
your
performance
becoming
repetitive
-
which
can
happen
if
you
choose
roles
that
are
in
a
familiar
emotional
space.
However,
with
Raji
it
was
very
different
and
exciting.
The
role
allowed
me
to
explore
a
new
dimension,
something
that
had
never
been
offered
to
me
before.
The
actor
in
me
could
not
refuse
this
challenge."
Besides
the
ingredients
for
creating
cult
icons,
the
Masterclass
had
many
takeaways
for
budding
creators
and
talent
attending
IFFI,
as
they
turn
to
streaming
services
with
their
story
ideas
and
passion
projects,
with
the
dream
of
showcasing
their
work
to
the
world.
Prime
Video's
participation
in
IFFI
is
reflective
of
the
increasing
popularity,
reach
and
growth
of
video
streaming
services
in
India
and
across
the
world.
The
year
2021
is
being
earmarked
as
metamorphic
for
the
video
streaming
industry
as
IFFI
for
the
first
time
ever,
since
its
inception
more
than
fifty
years
ago,
has
invited
video
streaming
services
to
the
festival.
In
addition
to
the
Masterclass
with
the
creators
and
cast
of
The
Family
Man,
Prime
Video
will
also
host
the
exclusive
world
premiere
of
Amazon
Original
Movie
Chhorii,
and
a
Masterclass
with
the
creators
of
Amazon
Original
Movie
Sardar
Udham,
in
the
coming
few
days
at
IFFI.
Additionally,
in
order
to
commemorate
the
birth
centenary
of
the
legendary
filmmaker,
Satyajit
Ray,
Prime
Video
is
showcasing
11
of
his
iconic
films,
along
with
a
special
documentary
on
the
service,
timed
with
the
dates
of
the
festival
(20th
to
28th
November).