The Family Man (S3): Caught In A Mess?

The Family Man (Season 3/2025) series is a contemporary espionage drama set in the North-Eastern (N-E) states of India. These N-E border states of India are located in a geopolitically sensitive and politically volatile region.

And the hero, Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) and his family, get caught right in the middle of a mess, because of the dangerous conspiracy plot. And as the above series poster rightly asks, how does India’s most loved man (Srikant Tiwari) become the most wanted in Season 3 of the show?

N-E India consists of 8 states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. This N-E region is celebrated for its cultural and ethnic diversity, unique geographical features, and its borders with countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar.

Focus: The Family Man (Season 3/India/2025) Hindi Series Review

Age Restrictions: TV-MA | "Mature Audience Only" (18+)

Spoiler-Free Series Review

Synopsis (official)

A working man, Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee), from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) tries to protect the (India) nation from terrorism, but he also needs to keep his family safe from his secret job. 

[Season 3] On a personal mission to avenge an assassination, Srikant Tiwari unravels a devious conspiracy that threatens to send India to the brink of war.

Poster (official)

The Storyline

In the earlier two seasons of The Family Man, its writers delivered engaging spy tales. So, Season 1 deals with the planned terrorist attacks in India linked to Pakistan. And then in Season 2 focuses on another terrorist plot of a suicide bomber associated with the Tamil rebels of Srilanka.

Now in Season 3, the story is much more complicated, and the canvas is broader. We do not wish to share the detailed storyline as it will affect your viewing pleasure. Therefore, we shall provide the outline and issues involved in the story of Season 3.

We get to hear about the CIA (of the USA), MI5 (of the UK), ISI (of Pakistan), China and Myanmar in the latest season. And there is an NRI billionaire arms dealer who wants to sell foreign arms to India in a lucrative multi-crore business deal.

But India’s Prime Minister Basu (Seema Biswas) does not wish to start another costly arms race in the sub-continent.

Even Pakistan, whose economy is struggling badly, they too wish to avoid the expensive arms race with India. Notably, both India and Pakistan are developing nations, where many of their citizens live in poverty.

So, the arms dealer and his backers want to create a war-like situation in India to push their billion-dollar arms.

N-E India & China

It seems that the mainstream Indian (especially Hindi) entertainment industry is increasingly focusing on present-day tales set in the North-Eastern (N-E) states of India. And this is really a good sign for the people living in the N-E states, as it not only tells their stories but also strengthens the bond.

📍The story of this Indian (Hindi) espionage drama is set in the state of Nagaland. So, as expected, the Naga* political issue is the central theme. The show creators (Raj & DK) have woven an intriguing spy drama in this border state.

Naga* people are primarily demanding the creation of Greater Nagalim, which involves the redefinition of boundaries to consolidate all areas inhabited by Nagas in the N-E under a unified administrative jurisdiction, and it encompasses different regions of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam, and Myanmar.

📍The series also delves into the delicate cross-border issues involving the North-Eastern states of India and China. Both China and Indian are nuclear-armed superpowers in their own right, with an active border dispute.

India (N-E) and China maintain a complicated relationship characterised by disputes over borders, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, alongside historical and ongoing military conflicts, and unconventional warfare tactics, such as supporting insurgent organisations and smuggling operations.

Myanmar & Pakistan

📍Once upon of time, for many Indians, Myanmar (Burma) was a gateway to South-East Asian nations. In the pre-British Colonial era, one would find that the influence of (ancient and medieval) Indian culture extended not only to China, Japan, and Korea, but also to Thailand, Indonesia and other S-E nations.

At the outset of the British Raj in 1858, Lower Burma was already a component of British India; Upper Burma was annexed in 1886, and the resulting amalgamation, Burma, was administered as an autonomous province of British India until 1937, when it was established as a separate British colony, achieving independence in 1948. It was designated as Myanmar in 1989. 

1937 Partition: the British administration separated Burma from India to reduce the strength of the nationalist movement and for other tactical reasons, thus forming it into a separate colony.

📍And the geopolitical issues and the border-related issues get further complicated when you add the third nuclear-armed state, Pakistan, to the mix. A longstanding contention over Kashmir and cross-border terrorism has been the chief cause of conflict between India and Pakistan.

1947 Partition: Tasked with the division of Punjab and Bengal, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British barrister, was responsible for allocating areas based on religious majorities: regions with a Muslim majority were designated for Pakistan, and those with Sikh or Hindu majorities were designated for India.

In addition, there are other disputes, including the Sir Creek boundary, river water-sharing, and the establishment of Bangladesh. Even now, both nations accuse each other of supporting militant groups and have been caught in cycles of retaliation.

Thanks to the British Colonial rule legacy and the faulty political policies in India, all of these unresolved geopolitical issues continue to trouble Indians.

India’s Most Wanted Man

The bloodthirsty conspiracy paints one of India’s top secret analysts (and field agents), Srikant Tiwari, as India’s most wanted man. He is a senior agent in a highly secretive Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC), which works with NIA, RAW and Force One agencies.

But why and how does this happen? Well, you have to check the following spoiler.

What’s Good?

✅The on-screen buddy team of Manoj Bajpayee (Srikant Tiwari) and Sharib Hashmi (JK Talpade) once again delivers the goods. The abuse-laden banters between the two are hilariously funny to say the least.

✅The confrontational scenes between the protagonist Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) and the antagonist Rukma (Jaideep Ahlawat) are in short supply. Still, both of them delivered top-class acts whenever they shared the screen space.

✅ Among the actresses, we liked the performances of Priyamani (Suchitra Tiwari), Seema Biswas (PM Basu), Gul Panag (Saloni), Shreya Dhanwanthary (Zoya Ali), Nimrat Kaur (Meera), etc. All of them played their respective characters quite well. Let us not forget that it is a spy drama dominated by JK and Shrikant.

✅ In the last six years or so, both the on-screen kids of The Family Man have grown. So, it was nice to catch up with the young actress Ashlesha Thakur (Dhriti), and the young actor Vedant Sinha (Atharv) on-screen. Their Gen-Z issues and slang continue to add another dimension to the show.

✅Among the rest of the ensemble cast, it was fun to see Darshan Kumaar (Major Sameer of Pakistan), Jugal Hansraj (Dwaraknath), Andrea Kevichüsa (Nima), Riken Ngomle (Subbu), Poonam Gurung (Ulupi), and other (North Eastern) Indian performers in this highly rated series.

The Conclusion

We think the story in Season 3 is far too complicated to be told in 7 episodes. They could have added a few more episodes and allowed the stories of all the key characters to reach their logical conclusion. But the makers, Raj & DK, chose otherwise. Now, the cliffhanger and open-ended season finale suggest that this well-made North-Eastern tale is not yet finished. Most definitely, their stories need to reach a logical conclusion. In the end, The Family Man, wounded Srikant Tiwari, is still in a mess. Now, we have to eagerly wait for the upcoming season 4. Fingers crossed.

Key Details

Trailer (official)

The Family Man S1 and S2 - Recap | Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi | Prime Video India | YouTube Video Link.

Also, check out the FM Series Review of The Family Man (Seasons 1 & 2) Series in our Focus Magazine.

Episode Summary | Spoiler Alert

Explosions send tremors across the Northeast, shaking Prime Minister Basu’s peace agenda. As Srikant and Kulkarni step into fragile negotiations with wary Naga leaders, enemies within and beyond the borders lurk in the shadows, armed with deadly intent.

Recovering from a deadly ambush, Srikant traces the trail to an elusive Rukma, unaware that his pursuit has already drawn the gaze of Meera and her powerful backers abroad. 

As the hunt turns violent, lives are lost, allegiances are tested, and Srikant is pulled deeper and deeper into a dangerous game.

As a smear campaign engulfs his family, Srikant faces crumbling trust at home and rising threats outside. With no end in sight and his family caught in the storm, he makes a drastic choice that changes everything. Meanwhile, Rukma struggles with a responsibility he cannot escape.

As Srikant and his family flee deeper into the Northeast, Yatish and Zoya close in with their team. In Kohima, Rukma forces young Bobby into a deadly mission, turning the Prime Minister’s peace rally into the stage for his most dangerous strike yet.

Under fire after the Kohima blast, PM Basu authorises a high-risk strike across the border. Rukma and Meera forge a treacherous alliance in Myanmar to set their dangerous plan in motion. Srikant gets a lead from a source that spirals into chaos.

Fallout from the failed Myanmar strike rattles PM Basu’s leadership in Delhi. Srikant uncovers Rukma’s link to Meera. As hidden moles and betrayals surface, Zoya intercepts a plot against Srikant’s family. The battle between truth and deception reaches its breaking point.

As PM Basu prepares for war, Srikant plunges into hostile territory, where traps and betrayals await at every turn. 

With Rukma closing in for revenge and Meera slipping further from reach, shifting allegiances and hidden agendas push Srikant toward a brutal reckoning that could change everything.

Poster and Featured Image of The Family Man (Season 3/India/2025) Series | Pictures Credit: Prime Video & Canva.com