Season 3 belongs to Jaideep Ahlawat who, regardless of the not so well-etched character, owns Rukma and offers the confrontation with Srikant Tiwari the lacking fringe of the sooner two seasons, observes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

It is powerful being Srikant Tiwari, chief agent (spy) on the TASC.

On one hand, he has to mislead his household continually so as to defend them (so he thinks), and anyway, when he says the reality, they do not consider him.

On the opposite, there’s his work that continually places him within the line of fireside, throwing challenges greater than earlier than.

So in season 1, we noticed Srikant and sidekick J Ok Talpade thwart a chemical fuel assault on New Delhi that had its arc from Kashmir to Pakistan. A Pyrrhic victory, actually, for it comes at a heavy value, together with his operatives barely making it out alive.

The menace degree was ratcheted up significantly in season 2, with the Sri Lankan Tamil radicals and the ISI’s rogue components coming collectively to focus on the prime minister in Chennai, the present traversing Mumbai to Srinagar to Islamabad to Chennai. Even Sri Lanka.

This operation extracts an excellent greater worth, with Srikant’s daughter coming perilously near being beheaded and a crew member perishing within the operation.

On prime of all this was his spouse Suchitra’s skilled life that casts an even bigger shadow on the household man than does Srikant’s work — particularly, the dynamics between her and ShrinkMe founder Arvind who coaxes her to give up her educating job, the place she felt stagnant, and be part of the startup, the place she finally ends up being a high-flier.

 

One query remained unanswered via the primary seasons.

Did they sleep collectively on the offsite?

Season 2 got here near answering it on the finish, when Suchi breaks right down to Srikant saying she made a mistake. What it was, was nevertheless not revealed.

For these dying to know if season 3, set primarily in Nagaland, sheds any additional gentle on this query, the reply isn’t any.

The truth is, the seven episodes do not even present Arvind, solely informing you that he has shifted base to Canada.

Nonetheless, season 3 has extra intimacy than the earlier two seasons mixed, solely it would not contain Srikant and his spouse, and even his ex-lover Saloni. However not a lot intimacy by OTT requirements, nevertheless.

Manoj Bajpayee, who fronts the present as Srikant Tiwari, has rated Season 1 as the perfect.

I agree.

Season 2 had its moments, sure, however it additionally had its justifiable share of deja vu.

Two seasons down, The Household Man has develop into a part of the household, therefore the familiarity maybe.

Whereas it’s removed from breeding contempt, it’s a problem to retain the identical crew, face comparable threats, and but come throughout as contemporary.

So does season 3 cross muster?

Does it maintain your curiosity?

Does it seize you by the eyeballs?

Here is the define.

The northeast is simmering, with China/Myanmar-based insurgents getting energetic throughout the border pushed as a part of Operation Guan Yu.

There’s the Collective, a shadow entity primarily based in London, that’s eager to push via a serious defence take care of India and makes use of the violence in northeast to power Prime Minister Basu’s hand.

Dwarkadas, Collective’s UK-based billionaire, assigns the duty of roiling the scenario to Meera, who contacts Rukma within the northeast to scale up the violence.

When native peacenik David and NIA chief Kulkarni, powering Basu’s Operation Sahakaar, are killed in an ambush, Srikant Tiwari steps in together with his crew to do what he does greatest.

Which comes with a private worth.

Srikant is caught within the ambush and hospitalised, his spouse’s startup, which has a Chinese language investor, is banned, his woke daughter Driti turns into a sufferer of on-line trolling, and his son Atharv is bullied at school.

So as to add to his woes, Srikant is positioned on administrative go away, an arrest warrant issued in opposition to him, and he and his household go on the run.

Phew.

In all this, the dramatis personae stay the identical.

Other than Srikant and household and fixed companion JK, there are his TASC colleagues, the prime minister and her circle, all of which add to the sensation of familiarity.

Even Zoya, retired damage in S2, makes a comeback to TASC, however surprisingly is ranged in opposition to Srikant. She is so mission-focused that after having intercourse with the brand new crew chief, she tells him to maintain it below wraps as a result of that’s the solely factor for which there isn’t any written protocol within the company.

So, how do you break the sample, make S3 attention-grabbing?

By bringing in a brand new ingredient.

As the primary episode meanders alongside, and your coronary heart sinks on the all too-familiar — however comprehensible because the basis must be laid, because it has been six years since S2 — enters Jaideep Ahlawat because the northeast druglord Rukma.

13 years after the then 43-year-old Bajpayee performed son to the then 32-year-old Ahlawat in Gangs of Wasseypur, the 2 reunite on display screen, this time on reverse sides.

The purpose about S1 and S2 was that Srikant Tiwari didn’t face a villain who was formidable sufficient.

Certain, they had been evil, crafty, harmful.

Neither Moosa nor Sajid, and even Samantha Ruth Prabhu together with her stardom, may outshine Srikant.

In S3, lastly, Srikant Tiwari meets his match in Rukma.

Ahlawat is clearly having a blast with the function, however is hobbled by a reputable lack of motive for doing what he does.

In contrast to the villains from the sooner two seasons, who had been pushed ideologically to extract revenge in opposition to India and convey it to its knees, Rukma is pushed purely by cash. He’s not in it to get the northeast to interrupt away, say, or elevate his voice in opposition to the outsiders.

Which makes him extra of a mercenary and fewer of a fanatic.

However Ahlawat makes the earthy Rukma plausible.

His relationship together with his girlfriend’s son, because it goes from indifference to caring, would not appear convincing, although.

Rukma targets Srikant Tiwari for the botched operation that killed his girlfriend, and the latter is on the hunt for him within the northeast regardless of having your complete safety equipment on his tail.

The unique solid of Household Man does what they do greatest.

Bajpayee and Priyamani, the long-married couple.

Gul Panag as Saloni, the ex issue.

Sharib Hashmi ever looking for love.

The all-knowing Chellam is there too, as common pulling Srikant out of tight spots.

Main Sameer of the ISI… nicely, he’s there, too. Of the newbies, Nimrat Kaur performs Meera good.

There is a cameo by Vijay Sethupati as Michael, who helps Srikant and crew cross into Myanmar.

However the season belongs to Ahlawat who, regardless of the not so well-etched character, owns Rukma and offers the confrontation with Srikant Tiwari the lacking fringe of the sooner two seasons.

The Household Man Season 3 streams on Amazon Prime Video.

The Household Man Season 3 Evaluation Rediff Score: