When inquired about his surname, Ayyan Mani, the Tamil Dalit character essayed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Sudhir Mishra’s Netflix film ‘Serious Men’, replies, “We are Shudras. Lower caste… My forefathers used to clean the village’s excreted waste with their bare hands. It was honest work, but you people turned it into a slur.” Still agitated, Mani doesn’t stop there. “My grandfather had only drunk a few sips of water from the temple well in the village. They broke his spine. He couldn’t walk straight for the rest of his life. It had a bad impact on his spinal cord,” he further adds. This conversation perfectly sums up the central theme of Mishra’s multilayered film—the deep-seated caste system plaguing the Indian society for centuries. ‘Serious Men’ is based on a 2010 novel of the same name by Manu Joseph. The screenplay is written by Bhavesh Mandalia took 10 months to adapt the novel to retain the essence of Joseph’s text. The film also stars Nassar, Indira Tiwari, Aakshath Das, Sanjay Narvekar, and Shweta Basu Prasad.
As we have seen over the years in films such as ‘Chameli’, ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’, and, ‘Inkaar’, among others, Mishra has always cleverly dealt with sensitive subjects. Caste system is a delicate and complex issue that requires a clever treatment to make it work on a larger scale. And Mishra has done complete justice to the sensitive subject. The credit also goes to Joseph and Mandalia for neatly wrapping up casteism within several other layers which make the story more impactful than it would have been otherwise. Let’s peel these layers to better understand the film’s multifaceted narrative. At one level, ‘Serious Men’ is about a wizkid who goes on to become the centre of media attention. He quickly draws everyone’s attention and soon we begin to see the capitalistic angle to the kid’s growing fame. For, he becomes a commodity for those in position to wield his influence to their advantage. Naturally, they want to exploit him every time an opportunity is presented. His father and mother become a party to it. Having a celebrity kid doesn’t hurt.
Does it? At another level, the film is about the aspirations of the 21st-century Indian population. Mani works as an assistant to a leading scientist at a research institute. But even though he has a deep desire to be accepted and respected by those around him, he hardly has any presence beyond his work as an assistant. Also, he aspires for his son to be big and influential just like his boss. It’s his dream to see his son living a rich and successful life and is willing to go to any extent for it. The film is also about the divide between the rich and the poor. Mani lives in a slum with his family but we regularly get a glimpse of the skyhigh buildings constantly reminding him of his position in the society’s hierarchy. He constantly tries to subvert it. But there will be consequences.
At yet another level, the film can be accessed as a family drama. Mani and his wife share an intimate relationship. Despite poverty and other difficulties, they are happy with what they have. When they are blessed with a son (under the most dramatic circumstances) they are just as elated as any other couple. In that moment they forget about all their troubles and embrace life the way it is. When the son grows up into a bright wizkid, the father-son duo develop a close bond and are a force to reckon with. While Ayyan is willing to get his hands dirty to fulfill the dreams that he has seen for his son, his wife proves to be the moral compass, providing a constant reminder of what’s right and what’s wrong. At its best, the film is a powerful satire about the times we live in. There are times when the narrative slackens and tends to lose its edge but it works well for the most part.
Sudhir Mishra’s brilliant direction is its major highlight. The acting performances are also solid. Nassar can have a very unsettling screen presence and here as Mani’s boss, he is probably the least likeable character in the film. Also, Tiwari is superb in the role of Mani’s ’s wife. ‘Serious Men’, with its highly pertinent and multilayered narrative, proves to be among the most important films of 2020.