Serious Men
Serious Men

Movie spotlight

Serious Men

2020
Movie
115 min
Hindi

Tormented with his 'under-privileged' societal status, a father capitalizes on his son's newfound fame as a boy-genius. Little does he realize that the secret he harbors will destroy the very thing he loves the most.

Insights

IMDb6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes95%
Metacritic70/100
Google Users84%
Director: Sudhir MishraGenres: Comedy, Drama

Plot Summary

Ayyan Mani, a Mumbai slum dweller, deceives his superiors into believing his young son is a mathematical genius. This elaborate lie is designed to secure a better future for his family and climb the social ladder. As the charade escalates, Ayyan finds himself entangled in a web of his own making, forcing him to confront the true meaning of intelligence and ambition.

Critical Reception

Serious Men received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised its sharp satire, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's performance, and its commentary on class, caste, and ambition in modern India. Some found the ending to be somewhat predictable, but overall it was lauded as a thought-provoking and darkly humorous film.

What Reviewers Say

  • Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers a masterful and nuanced performance as the ambitious protagonist.

  • The film offers a biting and intelligent satire on social mobility and intellectual pretension.

  • Visually rich and thematically resonant, it effectively captures the complexities of Indian society.

Google audience: Audiences appreciated the film's satirical take on societal structures and the brilliant performance by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Many found the story engaging and thought-provoking, though some felt certain plot points could have been explored further.

Fun Fact

The film is based on a 2010 novel of the same name by Manu S. Pillai.

AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources

My Review

TMDB Reviews

1 reviews
Tejas Nair

Tejas Nair

The kid (Aakshath Das) shines in Serious Men, a social drama that reminded me of Malayalam comedy Salt Mango Tree (2015), and which is more about the stress that children feel at the hands of their ambitious and competitive guardians and le...