User reviews

It is true that the parents do not want their children to see that lack, suffer the misery they themselves bear, but it is not good for the children to bear the burden of their happiness and sorrows and ambitions.

Director Sudhir Mishra's film Serious Man brings these issues to the fore.

The interiors of this story are beautiful. The writer-director has created an exit strategy for Ayyan and Adi.

But consider that this is not the end of the fight of the fighters for their rights because the status has no connection to the IQ and the talent also has no color (black or blonde).

Some of the film's dialogues are quite effective. At the same time, some scenes between Nawazuddin and Akshat touch the heart.

The film starts off with satire and then becomes poignant and then poignant.

The film based on the book slows down considerably in many parts. The main characters have been given a lot of time to set up, which makes it a bit bored and impacts the storyline.

Films on social bias and discrimination have been made for years, but 'Serial Men' makes its characters different.

As a father, Nawazuddin Siddiqui appears to be the best, while the strong side of the film has emerged as Akshat Das in the role of his son.

He walks shoulder to shoulder with Nawazuddin in every scene.

Nasser is perfect in his character.

But, the director has given very little space to a good actress like Shweta Basu Prasad.

Apart from caste discrimination, 'Serious Men' made under the direction of Sudhir Mishra touches on topics like inequality, lack, corruption, politics. Director Sudhir Mishra has tried to put it in an easy way.

The message of Netflix Serious Men is very important for making a serious and social taunt, but it is served that way easily.

The kid (Aakshath Das) shines in Serious Men, a social drama that reminded me of Malayalam comedy Salt Mango Tree (2015), and which is more about the stress that children feel at the hands of their ambitious and competitive guardians and less about class divide despite the montages that show otherwise. Here, the kid's father (Nawazuddin SIddiqui), hailing from a backward caste and having an antagonistic view of the world, uses the caste card and his child to aim for the stars, garnering applause and hollow fame on the way. But for what? Serious Men goes on to throw social commentary at you on how the rich and the influential act as parasites on the downtrodden with ample amounts of quirky humour and useless fillers. But, notably, it also gives you a peek into the ill effects of over ambition, giving a spine-tingling climax to an otherwise humdrum proceedings. Siddiqui, Indira Tiwari, and Nasser are all well-directed by Sudhir Mishra, who has finally had a good comeback since Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011). If you are not ready to accept what Serious Men tells, and not preaches, you, this will be a fine afternoon affair. A better watch to parents with young kids. TN

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of the best actors working in the Hindi film industry. He's done so many interesting films and Serious Men is no different.

Serious Men follows Ayyan Mani, an underprivileged man who decides to make his son a genius. However, he'll soon find out that his method is slowly destroying his son.

Serious Men is a film that may linger on people's minds for some time. It's a film that a lot of people can relate to. Adapted from the novel by Manu Joseph, Serious Men explores the desperation and want to have a better life and how caste and class plays a factor into your societal status. A great aspect is the writing. The characters interact in a natural way and its commentary on society doesn't come across as preachy. Having four writers on a film can be scary as there may be a clash of ideas but Abhijeet Khuman, Bhavesh Mandalia, Nikhil Nair and Niren Bhatt all collaborated really well with each other and made a script that was thought-provoking and engaging. There are parts of the story which I did question because it seemed a tad unbelievable but otherwise I didn't have much of a problem with it. The cinematography is handled really well and Sudhir Mishra's direction was well done.

The performances really shine in this film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui once again does a great job here. Ayyan is a very intriguing character that has many layers to him and Siddiqui plays him to a tee. Nassar, as the intelligent but arrogant Dr. Arvind Acharya, plays his character well. Indira Tiwari also does a good job playing Siddiqui's wife. I've always been sceptical about child performances but Aakshath Das was truly great. He conveyed the smart and confused nature of Adi well and I hope to see more of him in the future.

Serious Men is definitely one of the better Hindi films I've seen this year. It has a fascinating premise and an interesting take on society that is sure to make you think.

The flim is good but the some things in movies is missing which were expected which were fullfilled. I think there should not be adult scenes in movie. It's doesnot suits the movie. If it was not there then movie was to be good. It's way of expressing message was heartfelt. Nawaz sir acting was as usual.

Serious men is based on the book of same name and tells the story of a over-enthusiastic office assistant, who would go the extra mile to get the respect he deserves along with is son. The movie on one side focuses on a High IQ child prodigy, who seems to blessed with natural intelligence and inquest while the other side parallels the games played by individuals from all the strata of society to get what they want. The whole premise tends to reach a boiling point when the core sub-plot unfolds sometime in the middle.

Gradually though, despite the humour in the situations portrayed, especially in the satirical take on corruption that knows no social barriers, and despite the entertaining audacity of abundant strategies, the film reveals its hollow centre, only to pick itself up in the last 20 minutes with a liberal dose of practicality.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is at is usual best in his portrayal of a Ayyan Mani. Indira Tiwari and little Aakshath Das do their parts well. Nassar as Dr. Acharya a shrewd, no nonsense arrogant director of a government-run scientific research institute excels the most. Director Sudhir Mishra tries to put in too many punches but only a handful land on where it is intended. Adapted screenplay may not have done enough justice to a good story. Cinematography, casting, music, costumes and production design were decent. Make up was a little over done.

Overall, not a perfect movie but Serious men is funny and poignant in equal parts, it's a mix of complexities that exist around us and the state of affairs that we live in and ignore. Watch it for Nawaz who yet again proves that he has the ability to play wide range of characters convincingly. It is high time that parents in India stop using their children as insurance policy for their future.

The story weave in all aspects of society like caste discrimination, education institution policies, political involvement and feelings of a father who want to fight against set hierarchy defined by systems for primitive minds.

With the sprinkle of comedy and strong acting by cast has kept this script alive and engaging.

Amazing work by Sudhir mishran, it is must watch movie for parents to avoid pressure on their kids due to existing spoiled and inherited system of ruling and preservance of good with our innerself.

Everything is best in this movie.

Nawazuddin is a gem. Realistic movie. I like Nawazuddin speaking style , his voice and dialogue deliveries, superb expressions

NETFLIX'S SERIOUS MEN is outrageously splendid. One of the best commentaries on the corrupt notion across religion, caste, politics, and science. That's what cinema should be doing. Bring out thought-provoking real stories to reel. This is Nawaz's award-winning act where his body language, dialogue delivery are able to bring out the pain, agony, suffering, frustration, happiness, ambitions, and above all- love for his son.

His son played by Aakshath Das is another gem to watch as he shines like a diamond. He is able to bring out all the emotions that a small kid would feel.

The climax is gonna make your heart skip a beat in a subtle way where we have Nawaz explaining his action and also, course correction. I was overwhelmed. Nowadays, I hardly see a movie with an ending that offers a complete closure. 'Serious Men' has that ending.

This is one of the finest movies that Bollywood has to offer and would like to recommend it to everyone. A true celebration of movie making that can't be missed. And that I'm saying on a serious note!

There is serious problem with Netflix India, Outside India Netflix is good but In india netflix has some kind of agenda, Important thing One thing they should be clear that they choose actor according to character , it should not be like nawazzudin is good actor so every body should give him every type of character,

Just like Radhika Apte, And they should choose some good directors

Amazing story with super talented star cast. Pls watch it and support true talent of Bollywood.

Serious Men - Not at all a usual movie watching experience, it's very much different from other movies. It touches various social issues throughout the film especially the caste system. Cinematography is done brilliantly, every frame speaks itself. There is so much humour throughout the film and it's very good.

Now, there is Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead role, so it's obvious that there will be no complain about acting. But the show stealer is of course the child actor Aakshath Das. Nassar & Indira Tiwari also support the film very well. Hope to see Indira Tiwari in future again. Finally Sudhir Mishra is back again in his old form.

Boring...Im sure the professional reviewers must have been paid to write good reviews..

I can't deal with the primitive minds like u. An absolute satire on the educational system. The points they deal within the film are well spaced. Science, Political, Educational, Middle class life everything that is portrayed is perfect. The turnover by Nasser in the ending scenes is just brillant. Serious Men is the Idiom given by PA's whose bosses are strict as said it the initial sequences. But later on the film we come to know there r new points that raised. The way they mentally challenged the people around u ,the way Nawazuddin blackmailed and many more resembles the title. Even though Nawazuddin Siddiqui backstory is good, I see it as pointless connection. Good but not at its best.

It is a satirical and not so Serious take on education, casteism, etc. prevalent among Men from all walks of life in the Indian society. An unbelievable but refreshing plot that is carried forward in a sharp manner by a few noteworthy performances, takes foot off the gas pedal gradually, leading to a dull finish, even for the primitive minds.

Reality TV shows in India figured out their way to an audience and emotional jackpot along the way. Their contestants, when it all began, came from the 'burbs and upper-middle class. Be it a dance or singing competition, or a mega quiz show, the spectrum of participants was limited to our view of plurality: PLU (people like us). But somewhere along the line, some smart TV exec cracked the code: reserve a quota for that cleaved societal lower base whose raison d'être is to struggle to make it through the end of the day to garner sustenance on the family plate and haul their weary bones to begin again the next day. Suddenly our screens - and eyes - were flooded with the vision of what lay beneath our comfy, insulated lives. Sacrifices, shattered dreams, and tragedy, all rolled into before or after a song as judges sniffled, hitting the buzzer to open the gates for these talented, hitherto unseen strugglers into the next round. The TV channels grabbed eyeballs which in turn grabbed hankies, and we sobbed as the channels sprinted their way to the bank.

That such reality shows, albeit in an inverted avatar, play out in everyday lives is brought to the fore like a tight, smart, and smarting slap in director Sudhir Mishra's 'Serious Men'. Based on Manu Joseph's novel and written by Abhijeet Khuman, Bhavesh Mandalia, Nikhil Nair, and Niren Bhatt, the movie opens to Ayyan Mani (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) conceiving, with his wife Oja (Indira Tiwari), of the next-gen, even as his voice-over sets the context for what'll be its encompassing arch: the exploitation, discrimination, and deep-rooted systemic structure and politics of caste. Ayyan's a personal assistant to arrogant scientist and director Arvind Acharya at the National Institute of Fundamental Research (NIFR, and a snook at the hierarchies in TIFR and other such hallowed research institutes ?) -Nassar, superb, bringing the upper caste superiority to his act and demeanor, his character's knowledge as deep as his shallow understanding and treatment of his assistant and anyone else who's below him: in rank and caste. For him, that's a spin to his own demarcated caste system.

Full of smarts and blink-and-you-miss satire: Ayyan tampering with a quote on reservation attributed to Arivunambi Ghatak - melding a Tamilian name with that of a famous Bengali filmmaker - replacing that fusion noun with a famous economist, it's a sly dig at manipulating the narration. And that's precisely what Ayyan is good at. Controlling the narrative. And it is this street-smart talent that Ayyan brings into play for his own son Adi Mani (Aakshath Das) to beat the system that's jailed him in a slum dwelling all his life, which he wants to break free from for Adi's sake.

It is this manipulative streak that's a terrific spotlight on the very nature of our societal system and parenting choices. Aspirational parents create their own reality shows, pushing their children into a circus that's a hamster on the wheel cable TV. Plus, if you're born into a lower caste section - Dalit, in Ayyan and his family's instance - the die's loaded with equipollent and opposite force. There's reservation that'll get you a job as the one Ayyan has, but Ayyan wants more out of life for his family and himself. And helping him achieve that is his half-crust of phrases that he's acquired from being a fly-on-the-wall in NIFR, listening to Acharya's rants and ravings about gravity, space, and alien microbes. In a delicious touch of irony, anything that Ayyan says that's closely related to science is dipped in arrogance and disdain for his listeners - be it his colleagues, wife, son, or us. That's thanks to the pejorative boss he reports to. In another satirical bite that leaves its marks on Ayyan and his family is that in his warped system, chucking away humility and carrying the bag of brashness is the way to survive and beat back the naysayers. And that high-handed tone exactly what Adi picks on.

In forwarding his dispersed quotes and knowledge to the unknowing and wanting, Ayyan props Adi as a prodigy that quickly grabs the attention of the local Dalit politician Keshav Dhavre and his educated-abroad daughter Anuja (Sanjay Navrekar and Shweta Basu Prasad, both terrific) who set in spin their own system-within-system game. That Anuja has her own past trauma gives her the strength to wield a stick with brute force is another insight into director Mishra's character spin.

As the politics at the NIFR (Acharya's run-in with his bête noire, Namboodari, played by Uday Mahesh, is the tipping point for all), the slum, and between Ayyan and Adi and the politicos begin to get intertwined, Manu Joseph's sparkling clarity that's evident in his columns bubbles like good champagne, rising to meet you and then delivering a swimmingly spritzy experience. That India's brightest and mature minds aren't insulated from deceit and shenanigans (Vidhi Chitalia as Oparna Sengupta the smart, younger shoulder for Nassar's Acharya, playing her role in another discriminatory gender system that runs parallel or superimposed on the caste track - and that's not the only time the movie looks at women's stories; the other one involves money, greed, and exploited women), and that who they inspire awe and hate in equal measure in, follow the same path, points to director Mishra's never-ending mirrors within mirrors structure.

'Serious Men' cloaks itself in quick-footed dialogues with doses of cynicism, Karel Antonín's thoughtful score, and Alexander Surkala's quietly framed cinematography; and then, come the tipping point, breaks your heart as its machinations rip asunder tender minds and hearts, and the rot of rote and educational fraud spills out of its guts. Aakshath Das as Adi is top-notch, the actor carrying the burden of his character with all the strength of an overloaded, tearing-at-the-seams schoolbag. And when he breaks, he opens a flood of anxiety and concern inside of you. Indira Tiwari as Oja is beautifully raw and uninhibited in her act, making her character an integral part of the story, even if she isn't part of the mainframe.

The cast is superb all around (casting director Mukesh Chhabra gets it pin-point accurate), but Nawazuddin Siddiqui shows why he is, in such projects, the last man standing after Irrfan Khan's untimely exit. Absolutely natural, dry like gunpowder, and exploding when the last straw is lit - his scene confronting Adi's classmate's father in the slum is powerful and moving, his voice breaking and yet trying to retain control - he's the driver and the teacher for this tell-tale of a movie. What he teaches and learns is this: that no matter howsoever much you're in control of a narrative that involves the system, the immutable latter's gotten something extra hidden in its sleeve that covers its upper hand. And that when it comes to funds for survival, your chances are much better as an alien microbe in outer space than as an earthling dweller in a crammed slum.

This movie is not so serious or funnily made but it lies somewhere in between but overall it was convincingly made aka just above average. It could've been made very seriously by dwelling more into the psychological aspect of the kid or the parent by portraying their characters & experiences of life in-depth with some flashbacks or entirely funnily by mocking the audience itself instead of the ones in the film for the entire movie and by revealing the mockery truth as a twist at the end of the film, there are just so many examples Tamil films like Pizza or Kaashmora. The director has underplayed this movie by Keeping this in-between of both these worlds and not trying to explore the extreme possibilities. But as usual Nawazuddin's acting was top-notch although not as great as his in other films.

There will be a special place in my heart for this film. This film can be considered as one of the finest films of this year. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and others do a fantastic job. Story and screenplay is also good. Definitely recommend 👍.

Nawazuddin delivers and he proves again why he is such a gem. I liked the realistic style of the movie and its really interesting and on a different storyline. Sudhir Mishra does a good job here but he fails somwehere as screenplay is not that solid. The pace of the movie is also bit slow. Definately it's for select audience but at the end of the day I enjoyed Serious Men.

"Serious Men" shrewdly displays deeply engraved issues within our society via thought provoking dialogues & humour. With unadulterated subtlety; it sheds light on Cast Prejudices, Societal Acceptance and the concernment of Responsible Parenthood!



Sudhir Mishra's astonishing direction being the backbone here with eminently written dialogues and an evident display in visual mastery apace with a sublime soundscore, that fits accordingly. Disseminating through innate nuances, the director holds a mirror to our society as well as to us; as insatiable & infatuated human beings. About the lengths we would shamelessly go for our everlasting persuasion of betterment.

The same conveyed through this individual called, Ayyan Mani; impeccably played by Nawazuddin. A stubborn father so obsessed with his ulterior motives for his offspring, that he forgot the foremost responsibility he had of becoming a supportive, empathetic parent to his only son. A lesser presence by comparison yet Indira Tiwari as Oja; A strong maternal figure impresses. Akshath Das as Adi, simply stunning. The way he handled himself infront of such veterans in the game is quite awe-inspiring.

Not only the performances, the effulgent writing communicates deep-seated issues dwelling in our country that everyone is aware of yet we choose to keep reticence. Loopholes in our education system, ever present class differences, few obsessive set of parents who only care about the marks their children are getting. Ignoring the feeble child psychology; inevitably triggering lifelong mental health issues, that starts from a very young age.

It would take few more paragraphs to describe what I gathered from this brilliant piece of work. Hence I must conclude. Before I do so, there's unfortunately one negative left to mention. It's the last act and its unforeseen failure to wrap up everything in the end. The climax felt rushed & less concerned with the emotions. Contrary to what I had in my mind.

Good motto.. But you know something is missing. It didn't give the feel of satisfaction. It could be better i think with Nawazuddin sir.

I haven't found anything comedy nor thrill,nor any lesson neither any action but don't know why people are rating too much.. Blv me don't waste 2hrs of time.. nothing good in this movie...

Serious Men is one of the finest films of this year. Director Sudhir Mishra successfully delivers a worth watching and impactful film. The film addresses the caste system prevalent in our society, inequality, corruption, and politics. The dialogues are effective and the screenplay is sharp from start to finish.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui effortlessly slips into any characters, once again he delivers a brilliant performance. One more impressive performance in the film came from the child artist Aakshath Das. Indira Tiwari and Nassar got limited but effective roles. Shweta Basu Prasad and Sanjay Narvekar were decent in their supporting roles.

Direction 3.5/5 Acting 3.5/5 Dialogues 3.5/5 Story 4/5 Screenplay 3/5

It is very challenging to play one of the main characters next to a strong actor like Nawazuddin.Aakshath Das passed out with a full 100 percent pass.💯

It is a very severe movie.If it was wrapped, the hard feeling would have been less.🙂

The all characters are very well made,But if the characters were analyzed more deeply, the quality of the movie would have increased.👍