Serious Men Movie Review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s new Netflix film is a Sharp Satire on Indian society

Movie: Serious Men

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Aakshath Das, Shweta Basu Prasad, Nasser, Indira Tiwari.

Director: Sudhir Mishra

Every parent wants their child should be bright and genius. But is it possible that parents can make their child prodigy if they are not god gifted! Sudhir Mishra’s Serious Men tries to find out the solution with a satire twist in it. Based on the novel of the same name by Manu Joseph, Serious Men is a film with familiar parents issues with a pinch of drama.

Ayyan Mani (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a Tamil Dalit from a Mumbai Chawl who works as an assistant to a Brahman scientist (M Nasser) of National Institute of Theory and Research. His boss used to call him ‘moron’ and ‘fool’, but his intelligence brain decided to conn this world by hatching a plan. He ensures that his 10-year-old son, Aadi Mani (Aakshath Das) has a bright future. To that, he webs a plan of lies and betrayal in the eyes of the people.

Mani started building and convincing everybody that his 10-year-old son, Aadi Mani (Aakshath Das) is a god gifted genius. He calls himself as a 2G generation; his child will be in 3g era. i.e. third-generation, highly educated and deliberating life’s more significant questions. In contrast, Ayyan’s grandchild will be in 4G, which is the 4th generation, have nothing to work for and no reason to worry. And so, Ayyan figures out; he must take short cuts and uses his sharp brain to train his son to become a 4G.

Aadi is the school genius, who makes his teachers feel abashed about their lack of knowledge. He becomes famous in all over the city, delivering speeches on child labour, solving math problems in a snap. He makes his son mug up a long paragraph and repeats it in front of people and case if his son finds difficulty, with the help of a Bluetooth device, he is always in touch. But the lie doesn’t stay longer, and Ayyan has to pay for all his tales or does he not?

In terms of acting, Nawazuddin Siddiqui will make you wooah with his stellar performances. The actor will make you believe in as Ayyan Mani. With his exceptional understanding of a middle-class man will make you think, why he is called a versatile actor with a full box of talents.

Indira Tiwari playing the role of a Dalit mother, who is wild and yet extremely shy, but when it comes to her husband, She turns into a violent lady is a pleasure to watch on screen. Aakshath Das as Aadi Mani, is not just a genius in reel life, but also, he is in real life. In the first 10minutes, he will able to convince us about his character. However, Aakshath’s and Nawaz combination is a deadly performance.

Serious Men is an extraordinary story, which questions the implanted clamps of Indian society. The film is sharp from start to end and sure to be in your bucket list.

Rating- 3.9/5