This show is an action-thriller that hit Amazon Prime in 2019. Created by Raj and DK, it follows Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class guy with a secret life at NIA. He juggles family chaos and saving the country from terrorists. It is gripping, realistic and full of great performances. Manoj Bajpayee? He steals the show. Seriously, who needs sleep when you have this?

Meet the characters from The Family Man

Srikant Tiwari

Okay, Srikant is the absolute heartbeat of chaos and calm at the same time — like a walking paradox who drinks too much tea and somehow still remembers everyone’s shoe size. He’s a government intelligence guy who tries to be incognito but somehow ends up tripping over life’s moral landmines in the most earnest way, which is why you just can’t help rooting for him. He’s organized about secret files and disastrously bad about anniversaries (no, really, there was that one time with the—oh never mind), and he has this dry, exhausted sense of humor that sneaks up on you. Also, small thing, he probably keeps a drawer of emergency snacks and old movie tickets; not sure why, but it makes sense.

Raji

Raji is ferociously alive and also kind of a storm in heels — lethal, principled, and heartbreakingly blunt, and sometimes she smiles like it’s the last day of summer. She’s the sort of operator who can dismantle a plan and then write you a poem about it, which is both terrifying and lovely, honestly. There’s this air of mystery where she’s both colder than ice and weirdly fond of stray dogs, which I know makes no sense but that’s her charm. And okay, sometimes she acts like she never loses, and then you see her replaying tiny mistakes at 3 AM and you swoon a little.

Suchitra Tiwari

Suchi is the unsung MVP — patient, sharp, and with a passive-aggressive streak that could win wars if she wanted to. She’s the glue at home: teacher, emotional triage specialist, and chef of comfort food — also a champion of subtle burn comments that land perfectly. She’ll forgive a lot but remember everything (like a human receipt), which is both comforting and terrifying depending on your sins. Oh and she hums old radio songs while cooking, which is either wholesome or suspiciously cinematic, I can’t decide.

JK Talpade

JK is the charming old-school guy who says things like “back in my day” and somehow has the receipts to prove it — big brain, even bigger ego, but lovable in the sort of way that makes you forgive the sarcasm. He’s a field veteran turned desk-orchestrator who drinks bad coffee with gusto and tells outrageous anecdotes that may or may not be true. He gives off this “I know more than you think” vibe and also spends suspiciously long looking at sunsets, which is either poetic or he’s just avoiding paperwork. Also, fully convinced he owns at least three pairs of sunglasses he never uses properly.

Dhriti

Dhriti is a firecracker — clever, opinionated, and way too online for her own good, but also reads actual books sometimes, which makes her three-dimensional. She’ll throw shade at authority and then get emotional over a stray puppy in the span of five minutes; very inconsistent but very human. School-smart and life-curious, she asks the hard questions at the worst possible times and you love her for it. Little quirk: she insists she hates cricket but can recite scores like a weather report — who knows.

Atharv

Atharv is tiny chaos wrapped in superhero pajamas — endlessly curious, stubborn, and shockingly observant for someone who eats glue on occasion. He’s the kid who will ask the most inconveniently honest question at dinner and then run away giggling, and somehow end up being the plot’s moral compass. Loves drawing monsters that are secretly kind of cute, and will demand snacks with the diplomatic flair of a UN ambassador. Also, definitely cuddly but will bite your finger if you press the wrong remote button.

Sajid

Sajid is the cling-on team heart — techy, funny, and the guy who will build you a gadget out of spare coffee stirrers if you blink. He cracks jokes to keep things light but his loyalty runs deep; he’s the friend you want in a tight spot and the one who will still text a meme at 3 AM. He’s unpretentiously skilled, slightly chaotic, and probably makes better biryani than anyone expected — culinary skills that are both a blessing and a secret weapon. Occasionally gets melodramatic about TV finales, which is adorable and alarming.

Zoya

Zoya is complicated in the best possible way — fierce, earnest, ideologically charged and also surprisingly tender when she thinks no one’s watching. She’s the activist-energy type who can turn a protest into a masterclass in rhetoric and then make you soup when you’re sick, which is such a weird combo but I stan. There’s a stubborn streak that can be frustrating (and admirable) and she carries a tiny notebook full of quotes and sketches — sometimes they match, sometimes they don’t. Also low-key collects pins like a boss.

Arvind

Arvind is the classic bureaucrat-with-a-heart, part policy, part unexpectedly soft dad vibes, and yes he uses too many official stamps but in an oddly aesthetic way. He plays the system with a poker face and a fondness for crossword puzzles, and beneath the seriousness he’s quietly pragmatic and weirdly sentimental about small rituals. He’ll give you a lecture and then show up with samosas, which is baffling and very on-brand. Sometimes he’s by-the-book and sometimes he’s the person who breaks the book in the nicest possible manner.

Kulkarni

Kulkarni is the anchor of administration — all memos, posture, and a serious love for procedure, but don’t be fooled; there’s a sly, almost mischievous side that comes out with the right bribe of chai. He thrives on order but has this sneaky appreciation for well-timed chaos (office gossip at 4 PM, anyone?), which makes him curiously flexible. He carries a stack of sticky notes like they’re a security blanket and probably knows everyone’s birthdays because of a spreadsheet obsession. Also, he once winked at a fire drill and honestly, same.

Sameer

Sameer is the earnest sidekick who means well and then somehow becomes heroic because he just refuses to let the world be boring. He’s goofy, a tiny bit awkward, but also the friend who shows up with a ridiculous plan that sometimes works and sometimes causes collateral embarrassment. Loves films, bad dance moves, and has an irrational fear of pigeons (or was it heights? memory fuzzy), which makes him very relatable. He’s the kind of person you forgive immediately because his heart is embarrassingly, gloriously in the right place.