Serious Men (film)

Serious Men
Netflix release poster
Directed by	Sudhir Mishra
Written by	Bhavesh Mandalia Abhijeet Khuman Niren Bhatt Nikhil Nair
Based on	Serious Men by Manu Joseph
Produced by	Sudhir Mishra Bhavesh Mandalia Sejal Shah
Starring	Nawazuddin Siddiqui Indira Tiwari Nassar Aakshath Das Sanjay Narvekar Shweta Basu Prasad Yogesh Yadav
Cinematography	Alexander Sukala
Edited by	Atanu Mukherjee
Music by	Karel Antonin
Production companies	Bombay Fables Cineraas Entertainment
Distributed by	Netflix
Release date	2 October 2020 (2020-10-02)
Running time	114 minutes [1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Serious Men is an Indian Hindi-language satirical comedy-drama film directed by Sudhir Mishra. It is based on the book of the same name by Manu Joseph ^[2] and features Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead role. The film is produced by Bombay Fables and Cineraas Entertainment. ^[3] It was released on Netflix on 2 October 2020. ^[4] Exploring the themes of class, caste, and prejudice, the film is a reminder of the challenges that Dalit people face in India. ^{[5] [6]}

At the 2021 Filmfare OTT Awards, Serious Men received three nominations, including Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film for Aakshath Das, and won two awards: Best Web Original Film and Best Actor in a Web Original Film (Siddiqui).

Synopsis

The film follows Ayyan Mani, a middle-aged man working as an assistant to an astronomer at the National Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. He lives in a slum with his wife and son. Furious at his situation in life, Ayyan develops an outrageous story that his ten-year-old son, Adi, is a science genius.

Adi, though a bright boy, is no genius. Ayyan coaches him on what to say and do in public, and he uses a Bluetooth hearing aid to provide the boy with answers. Ayyan's scheme works, and Adi soon becomes a local celebrity. He is invited to give talks at schools and universities and is even featured on national television.

Ayyan's success attracts the attention of a local politician, who sees Adi as a potential asset for his party. He offers Ayyan a large sum of money if he can convince Adi to endorse the politician's party in the upcoming elections. Ayyan agrees but soon realizes that he has made a mistake.

In the end, Ayyan's deception is revealed. The family moves to a seaside village to live a simpler life.

Cast

• Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ayyan Mani
• Indira Tiwari as Oja Mani
• Aakshath Das as Adi Mani
• Nassar as Dr. Arvind Acharya
• Sanjay Narvekar as Keshav Dhavre
• Shweta Basu Prasad as Anuja Dhavre
• Vidhi Chitalia as Oparna
• Pathy Aiyar as Udayan
• Sameer Khakhar as Ganesh Tawde
• Uday Mahesh as Dr. Namboodri
• Manu Joseph as Journalist at press conference

Production

The film is based on the book Serious Men by Manu Joseph. ^[2] The makers of the film decided to cast Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the lead in June 2019. ^[7] Principal photography commenced in September 2019.^{[ citation needed ]}

Release

The film was released on Netflix on 2 October 2020. ^[4]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 91% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. ^{[8] [9]}

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
2021	Asian Academy Creative Awards	Best Editing	Atanu Mukherjee	Won	[10]
		Best Cinematography	Alexander Surkala	Won
	International Emmy Awards	Best Actor	Nawazuddin Siddiqui	Nominated	[11]
	Filmfare OTT Awards	Best Web Original Film	Serious Men	Won	[12] [13]
		Best Actor in a Web Original Film	Nawazuddin Siddiqui	Won
		Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original Film	Aakshath Das	Nominated

References

1. "Serious Men (2020)". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 30 September 2020.
2. "Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Serious Men to release on Netflix". The Indian Express. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
3. "Nawazuddin Siddiqui to star in Netflix's Serious Men, directed by Sudhir Mishra". Hindustan Times. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
4. "Serious Men teaser: Nawazuddin Siddiqui takes charge of his son's destiny in 30-second video, watch". Hindustan Times. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
5. "Manu Joseph's controversial tale of caste wins Indian literary prize". theguardian.com. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
6. "'Serious Men' movie review: For all the primitive minds". thehindu.com. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
7. "Nawazuddin Siddiqui bags lead role in Netflix's 'Serious Men'". ANI News. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
8. "Serious Men". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
9. "Serious Men". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
10. "Asian Academy Creative Awards 2021". Indian Express. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
11. "International Emmy awards: Nominations for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vir Das and web series 'Aarya'". Scroll.in. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
12. "My Glamm Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 - Nominations". Filmfare. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
13. "Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 - Winners". Filmfare. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.

External links

• Serious Men at IMDb  
• Serious Men on Netflix