The new season of The Family Man opens in festive Kohima, Nagaland — celebrations cut short by a blast that triggers further explosions across the state. The scene shifts to the Tiwaris during the griha-pravesh of their new home, setting the tone for season three of what has become India’s biggest OTT spy franchise. It arrives almost four years after the previous instalment, and creators Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK admit that expectations and pressure have only grown.

“There’s no real conviction when you start writing,” DK laughs. “You’re constantly aware that the target is already 350 runs ahead. The attempt is always to outdo your own previous season, and that’s a huge mountain to climb.”

Before they tackled geopolitics and narrative twists, the duo found joy in naming their characters — none more so than Shrikant Tiwari. Raj explains, “The whole idea was James Bond is so cool especially when he says, ‘My name is Bond, James Bond. You can never do, ‘My name is Tiwari, Shrikant Tiwari’,” he laughs. “So the idea was to be the opposite of the cool and suave we see on screen.”

They loved the term ‘Shri’. “In our heads he was ‘Shri agent’, like a respected agent. That word meant a lot to us.” Jaideep Ahlawat’s Rukmangadha comes from their childhood slang. “In Tirupati, whenever someone was ajeeb and undefinable, we would call them Rukmangadha,” Raj recalls.

Nimrat Kaur’s Meera reflects the contrast of Meera Bai — purity positioned inside the murky world of arms dealing. “We wanted that contradiction.” Raj likens it to outlaw nicknames like Babyface — soft on paper, deadly in reality.

Raj & DK say new cast members Kaur and Ahlawat have expanded their vision. DK notes, “We imagine the character first, but a great actor comes in and expands what we’ve imagined. They bring their own spice, internal logic, and the show grows because of it.”

Season three also pushes scale and action. Raj says Manoj Bajpayee and Ahlawat’s commitment to driving their own action scenes, removed the need for camera cheats. “The shot literally travels from Manoj to Jaideep on a moving vehicle and we needed that authenticity. The scale, ambition, and stakes are bigger.” They also place familiar characters in unfamiliar terrains, creating new dynamics.

With parts of the season set against the backdrop of the recent Northeast conflict, they emphasize balance. DK says, “Our idea has always been to build fiction on top of real incidents — things inspired by newspaper headlines. But at its heart, The Family Man is entertainment. That comes first.”

Amol Parashar was harbouring a wish for long. He wanted to wield a gun in front of the camera. Oddly, directors could not imagine the actor, who has shown his prowess in comedy with Tripling, Cash (2021) and Sweet Dreams, in such roles—until now. Parashar will soon be seen in an inheritance drama, which co-stars Nimrat Kaur and is directed by Sahir Raza, who previously helmed Illegal—Justice Out of Order.

Naturally, the actor is excited to portray an intense role after starring in a slew of feel-good stories. “It is an inheritance drama, a genre I haven’t done yet. I have been wanting to hold a gun, shout some expletives, kill someone or get killed. I was not getting any of those roles for some reason, until this,” he says of the yet-untitled series.

The show, shot over three months, was wrapped up last May. Parashar adds, “It’s the darkest story I’ve ever been a part of. I am playing such a maniac that it was liberating as an actor.”

Eager to shed the boy-next-door image, he credits Ektaa R Kapoor for imagining him in a different role when no one else did. “After Tripling, everyone said I was too urban. That’s when Ektaa approached me for Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare [2020], where I played a small-town boy,” says the actor, who also has Gram Chikitsalaya and Nausikhiye lined up.

With Gangubai Kathiawadi behind him, it’s now time for Sanjay Leela Bhansali to single-mindedly focus on Heeramandi. The eight-episode web series will see the auteur share directorial duties with Mitakshara Kumar, who served as his assistant director on Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018) before helming The Empire (2021). Where there is Bhansali, there is the promise of songs mounted on a lavish scale. It holds true for the Netflix offering as well.

“Bhansali will direct the first two episodes, while the subsequent episodes will be helmed by Mitakshara. However, given his unparalleled style of presenting dance numbers, SLB has taken the responsibility of directing every song. Each episode will have a song, bearing his signature style of grandeur. The compositions are ready,” says a source.

Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadha, Nimrat Kaur and Sayani Gupta are said to feature in the period drama that tells the story of love, betrayal and politics in the lives of the courtesans.

The source adds, “Bhansali will begin filming in the first week of May. The set is built on the same ground in Film City where Gangubai Kathiawadi was shot.”

Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Sonakshi Sinha and Manisha Koirala

When Nimrat Kaur tweeted, “The warmest, most valiant, virtuous man, who’s short but large life continues to be a marvel... Late Maj. Bhupender Singh, my handsome, brave father of this lifetime and many before journeyed on 25 years ago today. Your light lives on. Until we meet again Papa..somewhere, sometime,” in remembrance of her father, back in 2019, it spoke volumes about the vacuum that the absence of a loved one creates, especially in the families of martyrs who feel a sense of loss and pride in the same breath. Nimrat’s father was assassinated in Kashmir seven days after he was kidnapped from his place of duty. It was 1994, and her father was 44 years old at that time. Nimrat was on a vacation with her family in Kashmir to visit her father when the incident occured.

Remembering her father with a deep sense of pride, Nimrat told Bombay Times, “I have had a first-person experience of my father being in the Army and losing his life in the line of duty. When you talk about people from the armed forces, you should know that these are the people who will do absolutely anything, including putting their lives on the line if it comes to it, to honour the responsibility of the uniform. They will do everything to protect the country from any and every danger. The Army is a unit that erases all cultural and religious differences. There’s nothing that keeps the men from standing united with one another. I just find all this so incredible.”

Nimrat added, “When I think of myself as someone who comes from that background and a daughter of a martyr, I feel very proud. I also feel a sense of pride to see Subedar Neeraj Chopra from 4 Rajputana Rifles regiment. His feat has made his family and all of us in India just as proud.”

Interestingly, Nimrat featured in the web series, The Test Case, where the protagonist (played by her) trained to be the first test case in a combat role in the Indian army. As a proud daughter of a soldier who laid his life for the nation, in what way does she feel the young generation can show their love and patriotism towards the country? “What we can do at all times is to respect the lives we have, do what we can to give back to society and be responsible, be cognisant of those who can’t look after themselves and be conscientious, and not enable or do anything wrong. If we try to be the best versions of ourselves, we are doing the greatest service to the families of the jawans and to the army officers who don’t see their families for months and years because of where they are posted and the circumstances they live in. We have to be respectful and grateful for the lives we have and the privileges it grants us. The last two years have taught us a lot; as humans, we tend to return to our humdrum and we forget what it was to swim against the tide. That’s the thing we need to avoid,” said the actress.

Casting director Seher Aly Latif, known for her work on films like 'The Lunchbox' and 'Durgamati', passed away yesterday due to a cardiac arrest, her associate and director Neeraj Udhwani said. She was in her early 40s. The co-founder of independent production company Mutant Films, Latif backed the Netflix series 'Bhaag Beanie Bhaag', starring Swara Bhasker, and 'Maska', a film for the streaming service, which featured Manisha Koirala.

Udhwani, who directed 'Maska,' said Latif was admitted to Lilavati Hospital eight days ago due to kidney failure. “There was some infection, which caused renal failure. She was admitted last weekend. She was on antibiotics and was recovering. But today she suffered a cardiac arrest and suddenly it was all over,” the filmmaker said.

Latif was known for her extensive work as a casting director on projects like mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’s biopic, The Man Who Knew Infinity, starring Dev Patel, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha’s period film Viceroy’s House and Bhumi Pednekar-fronted drama feature Durgamati.

She was the Indian casting associate for acclaimed international projects like Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Julia Roberts-starrer Eat Pray Love, the Netflix series Sense8, season four of the Showtime espionage thriller Homeland and the BBC One/AMC series, McMafia. 

- Latif was attached as the executive producer on films like Shakuntala Devi, starring Vidya Balan, and Akshay Kumar’s Gold.

- Some of her international credits include Dev Patel-starrer The Man Who Knew Infinity, and Eat Pray Love, Furious 7, Viceroy’s House, McMafia and Sense 8, in which she served as the Indian casting associate. 

- Irrfan Khan-starrer The Lunchbox, and Dia Mirza’s Kaafir, were other offering that Latif worked on.

- Maska, starring Manisha Koirala and Nikita Dutta, is among the Netflix projects she was associated with.

- One of the kindest, most loving people Mumbai gifted my life with. Still trying to process this unreal news. Travel on into the light, my dearest, sweetest, Seher. The unpredictable, ghastly shortness of life remains baffling - Nimrat Kaur, actor

- I don’t believe it. Unfair parting with a kind soul and real friend. I hope there is another side - Ritesh Batra, filmmaker

- The heaven will be blessed with your mushy hugs and infectious smile. Still can’t fathom this though. - Nikita Dutta, actor

- Her default expression was a smile. You would always find her smiling. She was one of the nicest, kindest people I ever met. - Neeraj Udhwani, director