Small-town truths and streaming global realities

The former IT professional took to writing when he moved to Kolkata in 2011 after his wife got posted in the city, and when she suggested that he write the long-due book.

BENGALURU: I  would call myself more of a storyteller than a writer,” says Suman Kumar as he talks about his recent work for the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer The Family Man on Amazon, which was released in September. In town for Bangalore Literature Festival, Kumar revealed how the idea of the series was conceived by director Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D K before over-the-top media services surfaced in India. “We started filling the parts and when Amazon came calling, we started developing the season. It’s great because you don’t have the restriction of a feature film, and also get the time to explore,” he told CE.  

The series, which covers issues like mob lynching, recruitment of individuals by ISIS and civil unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, reflects the current situations, Kumar said. “As creators, our sole intention was to be observers, and hold a mirror to society, portraying the times we live in.”

The former IT professional took to writing when he moved to Kolkata in 2011 after his wife got posted in the city, and when she suggested that he write the long-due book. “I went on to write Ranga Half-Pants (2016), a story set in the 1980s in a small Andhra town. The kid, Ranga, discovers that he’s the only student yet to move from half-pants to full. The other track deals with a person who is sucked into politics and underworld.”

Kumar has also been a stand-up comic since 2015. He is on tour for his solo stand-up project, Mr Mommy, that revolves around his experiences as a stay-at-home dad. Speaking about his future projects, Kumar said, “My next stand-up project focuses on growing up in a small town. I’m also busy with the second season of The Family Man, and another series. The only thing left is my second book, which was supposed to be released two years ago. But I’m yet to finish it.”