Serious Men Movie Review: Nawzuddin Siddiqui Wins In A World Divided By Class And Merit
Serious Men is a predictable family drama about a father against the world, and yet it is also an endearing tale of a father who is all about his child.
Star
Cast:
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui,
Indira
Tiwari,
Aakshath
Das,
Nassar
Director:
Sudhir
Mishra
Available
On:
Netflix
Language:
Hindi
/
English
Duration:
106
minutes
Story:
Serious
Men
based
on
a
book
by
Manu
Joseph,
follows
Ayyan
Mani,
who
is
tormented
with
his
'under-privileged'
societal
status.
As
a
father,
he
begins
to
capitalise
on
his
son's
new-found
fame
as
a
boy-genius.
However,
slowly
he
begins
to
realise
that
the
secret
he
harbours
will
destroy
the
very
thing
he
loves
the
most.
Review:
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
as
Ayyan
Mani
has
much
to
offer
but
just
as
the
character
does,
the
makers
also
give
up
on
interacting
with
the
primitive
people,
its
audience.
The
story
follows
Ayyan
Mani,
a
middle-aged
Dalit
working
as
an
assistant
to
a
Brahmin
astronomer
at
the
Institute
of
Theory
and
Research
in
Mumbai.
He
lives
in
a
slum
with
his
wife
and
a
son,
and
for
all
his
life
has
felt
the
burden
of
the
society
and
its
good
and
bad
expectations.
Ayyan
is
much
aware
of
how
the
world
works.
He
also
explains
it
to
his
wife
that
to
live
a
life
of
basic
luxury
a
family
has
to
go
through
at
least
four
generations.
But
Ayyan
still
has
hope
and
wants
to
give
the
best
to
his
wife
and
son.
We
often
see
him
cutting
corners
to
experience
a
better
life
and
maybe
skip
a
generation
of
struggle.
He
fakes
living
in
a
hotel
to
enjoy
a
poolside
view
or
plays
the
victim
card
to
get
his
way
in
a
conversation,
but
it
soon
changes
when
his
son,
Adi
builds
up
a
reputation
as
a
genius
child.
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
As
Ayyan
Maani
Ayyan
steps
up
to
prove
that
despite
his
class
and
caste,
with
a
good
education
he
can
help
his
son
become
a
well-rounded
individual.
Adi
gathers
attention
with
astonishing
math-solving
skills
and
the
capability
to
understand
science
and
the
universe
at
molecular
level.
From
schools,
media
to
politicians,
all
gather
to
take
a
piece
of
his
fame,
until
the
pressure
to
keep
up
starts
to
dismantle
more
than
Ayyan's
dreams
for
a
better
future.
Indira
Tiwari
As
Oja
Mani
Directed
by
Sudhir
Mishra,
the
adaptation
takes
a
slow
approach
to
develop
the
story,
which
doesn't
always
work
best
for
the
video
medium.
The
book
written
by
Manu
Joseph
comments
on
a
lot
of
things
including
cast
and
religion
and
disability
oppression,
on
the
other
hand,
the
movie
begins
with
a
similar
narrative
but
halfway
through
changes
the
subject.
The
screenplay
spends
a
lot
of
time
developing
a
dramatic
ploy
with
Ayyan's
coworkers,
neighbours
and
politicians,
but
the
impact
of
the
story
ends
up
feeling
wafer-thin.
Aakshath
Das
As
Adi
Maani
What
makes
the
film
worth
watching
is
the
message
it
attempts
to
give
in
the
end.
With
more
screen
time
in
exploring
the
emotional
bond
of
the
father-son
duo
would
have
made
the
film
more
personal.
We
live
in
aspirational
India
where
exams
were
a
bigger
topic
of
debate
and
concern
than
a
pandemic
with
millions
of
lives
at
risk.
With
a
stronger
approach,
Serious
Men
could
have
made
a
bigger
impact,
about
education,
reservation,
merit
and
class,
but
we
only
manage
to
get
a
glimpse.
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
as
Ayyan
Mani
runs
the
show
impeccably,
even
with
only
his
back
to
the
screen.
Meanwhile,
Indira
Tiwari
and
Aakshath
Das
have
a
strong
but
subtle
presence.
Das
is
exceptional
as
the
genius
and
as
the
scared
six-year-old
child,
who
wants
nothing
more
than
to
have
fun
with
his
father.
Overall,
Serious
Men
is
a
predictable
family
drama
about
a
father
against
the
world,
and
yet
it
is
also
an
endearing
tale
of
a
father
who
is
all
about
his
child.
I
would
have
loved
to
see
the
later
more
as
the
story's
focus
than
the
former.