Serious Men (film)

Last updated

Serious Men
Serious Men film poster.jpg
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
Starring
CinematographyAlexander Sukala
Edited byAtanu Mukherjee
Music byKarel Antonin
Production
companies
  • Bombay Fables
  • Cineraas Entertainment
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • 2 October 2020 (2020-10-02)
Running time
114 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

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]

Contents

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

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. [8]

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. [9]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2021 Asian Academy Creative Awards Best EditingAtanu MukherjeeWon [10]
Best CinematographyAlexander SurkalaWon
International Emmy Awards Best Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nominated [11]
Filmfare OTT Awards Best Web Original FilmSerious MenWon [12] [13]
Best Actor in a Web Original FilmNawazuddin SiddiquiWon
Best Supporting Actor in a Web Original FilmAakshath DasNominated

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References

  1. ↑ "Serious Men (2020)". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 "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. ↑ "Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Netflix starrer Serious Men shoot begins". IWMBuzz. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  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.
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