The Family Man Season 3: New season of the Manoj Bajpayee-led series to be set in the Northeast?

Suman Kumar, the writer of the popular Amazon Prime series The Family Man, learned scripting and the nuances of writing a character on the job. In an interview with The Hindu, the writer and stand-up comedian opened up about how he quit his corporate job and landed the writing opportunity for The Family Man. 

The Bengaluru-based writer started off as a software engineer and as he felt he was a 'complete misfit in the industry', he decided to quit the job and become a full-time writer as writing has always been his passion. Suman then went on to start his journey into copywriting but soon realised that it wasn't making him happy either. "That is when I decided to write a book," he told the daily. He published his book Ranga Half-pants in 2016. "I realised how ill-equipped I was to pen anything! Before the book, I wrote a blog and did stand up. I found I was getting better every day. Writing became an escape from being a cubicle slave," he said. 

After his book, he started collaborating with Raj and DK whom he studied with at high school. Suman also recalled writing stories with DK in high school. The three started scripting together and that's how The Family Man happened. He said he learned how to build a narrative and a relatable character on the job. But it was a challenge, as they had to write a 10-episode series of 45 minutes each that would make the audience come back for the next episode. 

The series bagged the lead Manoj Bajpayee the best actor award for his OTT show and Suman said he does not feel left out or dejected as it's the actors who bring life to the characters. "I was bowled over by Manoj Bajpayee's approach to the role. He is an institution and took the role to another level by bringing in his expertise. Same with Samantha. None of us had seen her doing such an intense role nor had we seen her doing her own stunts," he said.

When he was asked about the upcoming season of The Family Man and what it has in store for us, he told the daily, "Our country is so rich and diverse, there is a lot to explore. India is one country with different worlds and OTT provides a platform to explore regions, cultures and people. Season 3 could be set in the Northeast."

As cinema is evolving and competition is getting tougher, the writer says that you need to be good enough to break through the visual clutter. It is a big challenge but it is good, he said as he thinks 'this is a golden era for content'.