INTERVIEW | 'New Battleground Awaits Suchitra,' Says Priyamani On Her Character's Journey In The Family Man 3
Ahead of The Family Man 3 release, Priyamani shares what's in store for her character, Suchitra Tiwari, in the much-awaited season.
By ETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Published : November 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM IST
Priyamani is busy juggling the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi film industries. The National Award-winning actress has predominantly worked in the South; however, her reach traversed regional boundaries courtesy of films like Jawan, Maidaan, and Article 370. Priyamani marked her digital debut with The Family Man in 2019, and need we say she won over the audience as Suchitra Tiwari?
Her real strength is her effortless acting and ability to express emotions subtly. Her role in the Prime Video original has gained her immense popularity. After three seasons, Suchitra, who holds the Tiwari family of The Family Man together, has seemingly become her second skin. The latest season of the series drops tomorrow, November 21. The spy action thriller will see Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani and Sharib Hashmi reprising their roles, while Jaideep Ahlawat and Nimrat Kaur are the new additions to the cast. Ahead of the release, Priyamani spoke to our correspondent Kirtikumar Kadam about the much-awaited show, her prep for the part, and what's in store for her character in season 3. Excerpts:
The Family Man Season 2 dropped in 2021; the third installment arrives in 2025. How did returning to sets after so long feel?
To be honest, this whole journey has been very amazing. Even after so much time, returning to the sets of The Family Man feels like returning to a beloved home or a maternal home. The familiarity of that atmosphere, the team’s harmony, and a new thread of reconnecting with the characters’ emotions, all of this gives a different energy.
I was shooting for another project in Kochi. From there, I took a late-night flight to Mumbai. I literally slept for two or three hours on the plane and reached the set directly. It didn’t take me long to get into the look of ‘Suchi’, that emotional layer, her pressure, and her relationship with her family. Raj & DK were stunned to see me. Their first sentence was, “How is this possible? You haven’t slept in the last 48 hours, and yet how are you playing Suchi so effortlessly?”
But it’s quite natural for me. I’m not the kind of actress who writes notes every day or makes elaborate preparations before coming on set. One thing I find important is understanding the character’s ‘arc.’ What does Suchi’s role say? What are the complexities of her relationships? What decisions did she make, and why? I understood her inner turmoil, her strength, and her guilt, all of which made me easily connect with her.
Suchi has been a strong woman since the first season, a supporter of her family, a bold dreamer, and always ready to do what feels right. I want to hold on to that basic thread of her nature and add a new layer to it each season. That’s why each new season is like a new discovery for me. I keep asking myself, where does Susi stand today? What has changed in her world? What new emotions is she grappling with? Susi easily permeates me as I search for answers to these questions… And perhaps that’s why, even when I’m sleepless, I can instantly immerse myself in her.
What goes into prep for a character like Suchitra, who is known yet has to be fresh and interesting in each season?
The character of Suchitra seems simple on the surface, but she is layered. Her core nature is very clear from the first season. She is strong-willed, decisive and always stands firm for what is right. She is aware of her own values and never compromises on those values. Since her husband Srikanth's work is very dangerous and time-consuming, the entire responsibility of the home and world falls on her shoulders. She handles the upbringing of the children, the daily stress of the house, her own emotions, all by herself. But her toughness is her true identity. She does not break; on the contrary, she has the ability to face the situation and find her own way out of it.
For me, understanding Suchitra's mind was like unraveling two worlds of a woman. One is a responsible, family-oriented wife and mother, and the other is an individual who aims to give wings to her dreams. There is a constant invisible tension in her mind, between family duty and personal growth. Suddenly, in the midst of all this, a friend named Arvind enters her life. He boosts her morale and draws her attention back to her potential. I think this is a very important step in Suchitra’s journey because here, for the first time, she starts to see herself not just as a wife or a mother, but as a person.
Understanding the emotional complexity, twists, and turns... Suchi becomes a world for me, not just a role. Knowing her silence, the unspoken questions in her mind, and the complexities of her relationships is like preparing yourself with a new sensitivity.
How has Suchitra evolved over Seasons 2 and 3?
Yes, both these seasons witness Suchitra's growth as a character. In Season 2, we get to explore Suchitra's emotional world in more depth. In the first season, she is seen as a dutiful, strong-minded woman, but the second part was certainly meatier. The audience looks at her and Arvind's 'equation' with more sensitivity. The ongoing tension in her mind, the burden of family, the struggle of her own career, and the estrangement with Srikanth are all reflected in her behavior. At this stage, Suchitra becomes not just Srikanth's wife or a mother of two children, but a woman who is trying to give more meaning to her own existence. The decisions that she makes and her inner turmoil become an important thread that connects the audience.
Season 3, however, is a whole new battleground for Suchitra (laughs). In the upcoming season, the stakes in her life change completely. For the first time, the entire family finds itself in a terrible crisis, and this time Suchitra doesn’t just struggle mentally; she deals with the situation physically. Protecting her children, maintaining her relationship with Srikanth, and making the right decisions in the midst of a crisis at the same time make her a more rounded character. In this season, the audience will see Suchitra more mature, stronger, and emotionally connected. She reinvents herself, crosses her own boundaries, and stands in a different light in the world of ‘Family Man.’ In short (laughs), you must have seen Suchitra in the first two seasons, but the strength, the fight, and the determination that she sees in her in the third season take this character a notch higher.
Your mantra to crack a character...
This is actually a characteristic of my style of working. As soon as I step on the set, Priyamani, the person, steps back, and the actor gets straight into the character. It is a natural, simple, but very effective method. People often think that I probably prepare a lot and work on the script for hours. But to tell you the truth, I am not one of those actresses who does a lot of ‘homework.’ I understand the basic principle of the character, its emotional world, and I can completely blend in with it.
When I come on the set, my simple mantra is, “Okay, now I am Suchitra.” And then I naturally absorb the language, the way she walks, and what makes her do what she does. Sharib is like me! He also says with a smile, “Oh, I don’t do any homework either! ” So, there is an amazing ‘tuning’ between us. Understanding each other, responding to each other’s acting, all this happens so naturally that the chemistry in front of the camera feels more alive. One of the biggest benefits of not over-prepping is that it creates a very calm, relaxed, and positive energy on set. For me, acting is not just about reciting dialogues but about blending your own breath with the breath of the character you are playing.
Read More
- Interview |Manoj Bajpayee Opens Up On The Family Man Season 3: 'Srikant Tiwari Doesn't Seem To Be Winning Any Battle This Time' Raj & DK Decode
- Challenges Behind The Family Man Season 3, Handling Expectations And Pressure
- INTERVIEW | Jaideep Ahlawat: 'Working With Manoj Bajpayee In The Family Man 3 Felt Like Playing Under Messi's Captaincy'
