Serious Men (2020)

Serious Men (2020) Full Recap

At the National Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, a man named Ayyan works as a personal assistant to a scientist named Arvind, who is obsessed with researching space microbes. After several attempts to get his research funded, Arvind eventually gets a Minister named Tawade to visit the research institute and learn more about space microbes. When Tawade arrives, the staff at the institute welcomes him before he's taken to Arvind's office. There, Arvind explains that his plan is to send four sterilized containers into the upper stratosphere.

Tawade doesn't understand what stratosphere means, and Arvind explains it to him. Ayyan sees everything happening inside the office from his desk, and as he also hears the word stratosphere, he decides to check what it means. Meanwhile, Arvind continues talking about his research, and he says that based on his hypothesis, the microbes are aliens falling on Earth all the time. Tawade doesn't understand everything Arvind talked about, and as they eventually leave the office, he says he's concerned that the aliens might attack humans.

Arvind says the aliens are microscopic, but Tawade still believes they can be dangerous. As Arvind tries to convince Tawade that the aliens aren't harmful, he calls Ayyan and tells him to prepare another presentation on the microbes. Ayyan responds in Tamil and asks if Arvind is talking about the PowerPoint or the video presentation. Arvind seems pissed that Ayyan didn't speak in English, and he just shouts at him to go away.

As Ayyan then walks back to the office, he and his co-workers at the institute joke about what happened. Shortly after, Ayyan prepares the presentation, and Arvind, Tawade, and some other guests enter the office. Someone then introduces Tawade to another scientist named Nambodari, who is also doing research in the same field, even though he has a different approach. Nambodari says he thinks the best way to look for aliens is to use radio telescopes instead of sending balloons to space to collect samples like Arvind is doing.

He then mentions that he doesn't think he should be talking about his approach because they're all in the office to support Arvind's work. Arvind doesn't seem to like Nambodari because they've always been rivals, but Nambodari jokes that he hopes his colleague enjoyed his fake enthusiasm. When the video presentation starts playing, Ayyan turns off the lights in the office. Arvind then sends him away and calls him a moron.

Ayyan leaves immediately, and he seems to have already gotten used to being insulted by his arrogant boss. Most of the top officials at the institute are just like Arvind, and the lower-ranked staff often call them Serious Men. After work, Ayyan meets up with his pregnant wife, Oja, who complains about the snacks he got for her. Ayyan says she's always complaining, but Oja mentions that he has refused to buy any of her cravings.

Ayyan then suggests taking her to a place he's sure she'll like. Following this, they head to a big hotel in Mumbai, and Ayyan pretends to be a wealthy man as he's about to go in. He then takes Oja to sit by the poolside inside the hotel premises. Almost immediately, a waiter comes over to inform them that the pool is reserved for guests only.

Ayyan then lies that he and Oja are in room 602, and he also orders a drink for himself and his wife. After the waiter serves them, Oja complains that the coffee at the hotel is too expensive, and she can't drink it. Ayyan then jokes that she definitely behaves like a second-generation adult who doesn't want to take time to enjoy herself. Oja doesn't understand this, but Ayyan explains that the kids playing in the pool are the fourth generation.

He adds that his dad was part of the first generation who didn't attend a school or acquire any form of education. He says he's second generation, and that even though he went to school, he didn't realize how important it was until it was too late. He also mentions that his and Oja's baby will be the third generation, and their child will be very successful. As Oja continues listening to him, he adds that their grandchildren will be the fourth generation, who will enjoy their lives because money won't be a problem.

Suddenly, the waiter returns and says he just confirmed that there's someone else in room 602. Ayyan says he meant 702, but the waiter thinks he's lying. As they argue about this, Oja feels a strange pain in her stomach and looks uncomfortable. Ayyan thinks she's pretending, but she tells him that she's about to go into labor.

Ayyan looks shocked and immediately tells the waiter to help him get a cab or call a doctor. After a while, a doctor arrives to deliver the baby, and Ayyan looks happy. Years later, Ayyan and Oja take their son, Adi, to a prestigious catholic school, where they plan to enroll him. When they arrive at the school, Oja sees a portrait of Arvind on the wall, and she calls Ayyan's attention to it.

Ayyan then mentions that Arvind has a lab named after him at the school, and that Oja doesn't have to worry about anything because his boss gave him a recommendation. Shortly after, during Adi's preliminary assessment, he fails to answer simple questions, and Ayyan tells the principal that his son is a bit shy. He adds that Adi is an introvert just like Einstein. The principal doesn't say anything, but Ayyan mentions that Einstein couldn't talk until he was six.

After the assessment, the principal tells Ayyan to go and submit Adi's form at the admissions office. When Ayyan gets there, he meets a man who asks where he's from. Ayyan realizes that the man is trying to figure out if he's from a rich family, and he sounds pissed. The man says that's not what he meant, and Ayyan calms down because he doesn't want to embarrass his wife and son.

He also tells the admission officer that Arvind is his colleague, and that he has a recommendation from the scientist. The admission officer says Arvind is an alumnus, and that Ayyan doesn't have to be worried about anything. He also tells Ayyan to stay outside and wait for the list of the shortlisted candidates to be put up on the notice board. While Ayyan is standing outside, the admission officer calls Arvind to ask about Ayyan's recommendation.

After the call ends, Ayyan stands by the window and hears the admission officer telling his colleague that Arvind only said yes to Ayyan to get him off his back. He adds that Arvind told him to forget about the recommendation because admission should only be given on merit. Ayyan looks disappointed when he hears this, and he goes to sit with his wife and son. He also takes a close look at his son and helps him adjust his hearing aid.

Shortly after, the admission list is put up, and all shortlisted candidates are told to wait. Ayyan looks sad because his son didn't make it, and he leaves the school with his family. The next day, during a press conference at the research institute, Arvind is asked a question, and he answers it with a strange analogy. A journalist at the event says he doesn't understand the answer, and Arvind jokes that if the person understood it, then they would be him.

Everyone laughs, but Ayyan just stares at Arvind and thinks about how he just avoided the question. A while later, Adi gets accepted into the Catholic school, and as he looks out the window during a class, his math teacher scolds him. Adi then says he’s studying photosynthesis and thinking about the possibility of injecting humans with chlorophyll. The teacher tells him to direct all his science queries to the science teacher.

Adi then says he has a math question, and as he writes the question on the board, the teacher tells him to go back to his seat. Adi says he knows the teacher can't solve it, and this gets her pissed. She also heads out of the class, saying she'll report Adi to the principal and get him expelled. Adi's classmates rejoice when the teacher leaves, and a girl named Sayali thanks Adi for saving her because she wasn't prepared for a test.

Shortly after, Adi's parents are summoned by the principal to talk about what happened in the math class. Ayyan then tells the principal that Adi's IQ is 169, and he's far too advanced for the school's learning syllabus. The principal says Christ gave Adi a great mind, but Oja implies that her idol is responsible for that. The principal then asks if Ayyan believes in Christ.

Ayyan says he loves Christ, and the principal mentions that if he accepts Christ formally, Adi could get a scholarship. She says Ayyan can ask his friend, Satish, whose daughter, Sayali, got a scholarship after her family accepted Christ. She adds that she's not forcing Ayyan to make a decision. Ayyan finds this funny and brings out a book to show the principal some of Adi's amazing achievements so far.

He says he's considering taking Adi to another school that is offering free admission and a scholarship. He adds that the school doesn't care about their religion. The principal says she really cares about Adi, but Ayyan reminds her that his son was rejected a while ago until they eventually considered him after he turned out to be a bright boy. As he threatens to take his son away, the principal says she won't allow that.

She also tells Ayyan that she'll give Adi a scholarship and whatever he wants because he's the school's star student. On the way home, Oja complains about how Ayyan seemed arrogant while talking to the principal. She also tells Adi that she doesn't want him to be like his father because he has to be humble. Ayyan doesn't like this, and he implies that there's nothing bad about being arrogant.

The next day, at work, Ayyan seems unsettled because he doesn't want to miss Adi's TV interview. He looks nervous about asking his boss because he doesn't want Arvind to shout at him. Nambodari eventually enters the office to ask why Arvind doesn't want to give him fifteen percent of his research funds. Arvind says he doesn't want to waste money on stupid ideas, and Nambodari looks annoyed.

Ayyan interrupts their conversation to ask if he can leave, but Arvind just shouts at him to go out. Ayyan looks unhappy because he's running late, and he starts wondering what he'll do next. When Nambodari leaves the office, Ayyan begs him to speak to Arvind on his behalf because he really wants to go home. Nambodari then returns to the office to ask Arvind if he can borrow his PA.

Arvind tells him to do whatever he wants, and with this, Ayyan is able to head home. When he gets there, he notices that the production crew is already around, and he heads up to meet his son. Ayyan doesn't look happy to see the makeup on Adi's face, and he washes it off because he wants his son to look natural. Following this, Adi is asked about his love for science, and he talks about his interests.

He eventually says something that the interviewer doesn't understand, and the man looks confused. Adi then sounds arrogant and insults the man for not understanding simple things. He also mentions that if the man doesn't have better questions, he shouldn't ask anything else. Despite this, Adi is highly regarded as a star in his community, and some kids in the neighborhood even come over to pose for pictures with him.

One night, while Ayyan is returning from work, he stops near a train station to buy some exam question papers from a strange man. After receiving payment for the package, the man asks why Ayyan is always buying exam question papers. Ayyan says he needs it for his thesis, but the man still looks confused. When Ayyan arrives home, he notices that Adi isn't around, and Oja says she sent him to sort their bills because she thinks the grocer has been cheating them.

Ayyan looks shocked and immediately heads out to find Adi. As he almost reaches the grocery shop, he sees the grocer trying to convince Adi to look at his tax returns and teach him ways to save money. Adi just avoids the questions and talks about Venus. As the grocer continues disturbing him about the tax returns, he shouts at the man and says he doesn't have time for it.

Ayyan then shows up and tells the grocer to pay a huge consultation fee if he wants Adi to look at his tax returns. The man says he's no longer interested, and Ayyan heads home with Adi. On the way, Ayyan says Adi was close to being exposed. He says that Adi must never be silent because geniuses always have something to say.

He adds that Adi can say whatever he wants and walk away before people start asking him unnecessary questions. Ayyan says people don't understand the things Adi talks about most of the time, and it’s why they respect him. Adi says he also doesn't understand most of the things he says, but Ayyan tells him not to say it out loud because it's their secret. He also mentions that if people start questioning Adi randomly, he can just shout at them and say that he doesn't deal with primitive minds like theirs.

After Adi learns how to say this, Ayyan tells him to ask his teacher tomorrow about the genetic mutation of space microbes. Interestingly, it turns out that Adi is not a genius, and Ayyan is making him pretend to be one by teaching him different things. He also buys exam question papers so that Adi can study the answers and get a perfect grade. Days later, a politician named Keshav begins a campaign to make his daughter, Anuja, the face of his party.

One of the projects they want to implement is the redevelopment of the slum where Ayyan lives. Anuja seems interested in working with Adi and potentially making him a political asset for the party, but Keshav doesn't like her idea. Anuja insists that her dad has to trust her, and he says he does. The next day, Keshav and Anuja visit Ayyan and Oja to talk about Adi.

Keshav and Anuja then talk about how Adi could be the face of what they're planning. Oja says Adi knows nothing about politics, but Keshav believes he could become a great politician in the future. Anuja also says she sees a bit of Einstein in Adi. The next day, Keshav and Anuja invite Ayyan to their office to talk about the redevelopment project and how they need to convince people to vacate the slum so they can begin a new housing project.

Ayyan says he doesn't even own a house there, but Keshav says he'll make sure Ayyan gets one. Ayyan still doesn't believe people will listen to him, but Anuja and Keshav mention that they need Adi to talk to them instead. Ayyan immediately agrees, and later that night, he tries to get Adi to memorize a speech, which will convince the slum dwellers to leave their homes. As Adi struggles with it, Ayyan connects a Bluetooth device to Adi's hearing aid so he can always help his son out whenever he needs to speak in public.

The next day, at an event organized by Keshav and Anuja, Adi is made a special guest, and he's eventually called up to give a speech. Adi looks nervous, and as he begins his speech, he gets stuck and forgets a part of what he’s supposed to say. However, Ayyan happens to be on a roof near the venue, and he quickly helps Adi out by telling him what to say via the Bluetooth hearing aid. Everyone looks impressed with Adi’s speech, and Keshav tells Anuja that Adi has the makings of a successful politician.

A few hours later, the event ends, and the slum dwellers agree to give up their homes for the redevelopment project. That night, Adi sees Sayali's mom beating her up for not getting good grades on her test. Adi feels sorry for her, and as Sayali's mom sees him, she asks what he scored. Adi says he got a perfect score, and Sayali's mom scolds Sayali for not being like him.

Sayali is eventually sent out of the house to spend the night in the hallway, but she eventually heads to the roof. Adi meets her there and tries to console her, but she seems pissed because he's the reason her mom is angry at her. Adi then tells her to inform her parents that she'll get a good grade on her next test. Sayali says she can't understand things like Adi, but he confesses that he's not a genius.

He adds that he only passes well because his dad gives him the question papers beforehand so he can memorize the answers. Sayali thinks he's just saying that to make her feel better, but he says he's serious. Sayali still looks surprised, but Adi begs her to keep his secret. Sayali doesn't respond to him, and she heads over to tell her dad that she'll get good grades on her next test.

The next morning, Adi asks Ayyan if they can share their secret with their best friends. Ayyan looks confused and wonders if Adi has told someone. Adi says he hasn't, and Ayyan mentions that his best friend is Oja, and he hasn't even told her. Later that day, while Adi and Sayali are on the school bus, he says he lied to her last night, but she doesn't believe him.

At school, Sayali tries to humiliate Adi by calling him out in front of the class to answer some questions. However, he just walks away and looks disappointed. On their way home, Adi stays away from Sayali, but she eventually comes over to tell him that she was only messing with him at school. Adi doesn't believe this, and he feels bad because he has betrayed his dad.

The next day, the state organizes an event to honor Adi. When he arrives at the venue with his parents, he suddenly stops walking with them. Ayyan then asks what's wrong, and Adi confesses that he told Sayali their secret. Ayyan looks shocked and doesn't know what to say. As he then walks with Adi, he sees Sayali and her parents.

Sayali then asks if Adi remembers everything he'll say, and Ayyan realizes that she'll be a problem. The next day, Ayyan buys Sayali some snacks and says he's aware that she knows his secret. He then talks about being smarter than Sayali's dad, who also works at the research institute. After this, Ayyan threatens to make Satish lose his job so he can take out his anger on Sayali and his wife.

Sayali doesn’t like this, and she begs him not to do that. She also promises not to reveal his secret. Days later, Arvind's balloons return from space with no microbes. With his reputation on the line, Arvind seeks the help of a colleague to send fake results to his printer. Ayyan figures out what's going on, and Arvind eventually shouts at him to check the printer for the document that was just sent to it.

Ayyan gets tired of Arvind's insults and takes a copy of the fake results to Nambodari. The next day, during a press conference, Arvind announces that his balloons came with space microbes. As he gives more details about the results, someone comes on stage to tell him to cancel the press conference. Arvind doesn't understand this, but he's informed that the order came from a Home Ministry official named Udayan.

After the press conference is canceled, Arvind returns to his office and is confronted by Udayan and Nambodari, who reveal that they know about the fake results. Arvind is unable to deny it, and he's told to release a statement, saying that the samples got contaminated and are no longer useful. He's also forced to tender a resignation letter so that the media won't find out about what happened. Days later, Arvind visits the Catholic school for the first time in a while because he now has more time on his hands.

Interestingly, Ayyan is at the school for an event, and when he hears that Arvind is around, he looks scared. Unfortunately, Arvind has already met Adi and figured out that he's not a genius. Ayyan eventually finds them and tells Adi to leave so he can talk to Arvind, who calls him a fraud. Ayyan says it's not different from what Arvind did with his research, but Arvind implies that it's a bad comparison.

Ayyan then begs Arvind not to expose Adi because it could ruin his life. Arvind asks why he shouldn't do that, and Ayyan promises to help him get his job back. Following this, Ayyan goes to meet Anuja to convince her dad to use his connections to get Arvind his job back. Keshav agrees to work on it, and Ayyan plans an event to get Adi to endorse Arvind's research in public.

Days before the event, Adi struggles to memorize the speech Ayyan wrote for him. Ayyan isn't happy about this, and he insults and shouts at his son. The next day, Adi feels overwhelmed, thinking about how he constantly has to memorize things he knows nothing about. On the day of the event, Adi seems nervous and is unable to finish his speech, even though Ayyan is helping him through the Bluetooth device.

As he just stops and says nothing, Ayyan looks shocked and wonders what's wrong. Suddenly, Adi calls for his mom before passing out on the stage. Adi is immediately rushed to the hospital, and after a while, he returns home with his parents. Shortly after, Ayyan threatens to expose Adi if he keeps acting up.

Adi begs his dad not to do this, but Ayyan pretends like he's going out to call someone. The next day, Anuja tells Ayyan that once Adi fully recovers, she wants to nominate him for the Guinness World Records. She says she already has a list of records she believes Adi can break, and as she heads to her office to get the list, Ayyan feels sad because he doesn't know how long he can keep up the act. After he leaves the office, he heads to a museum where he stares at the photograph of a woman holding a boy.

Elsewhere, Keshav's contact helps Arvind get his job back. Nambodari seems pissed and says he'll expose Arvind to the media. Arvind also mentions that he'll expose Nambodari for spying on him. Nambodari says he didn't do that, and it was Ayyan who gave him a copy of the fake results.

Arvind looks really pissed and sends a letter to Keshav, revealing Ayyan's secret. The next day, when Ayyan gets to Keshav's office, Keshav insults him and calls Adi a clown child. Anuja tries to defend Ayyan and Adi, but Keshav doesn't seem to care about this because if the media finds out that Adi is a fraud, they'll think the redevelopment project is a scam. He then tells Ayyan to deal with the problem because the Home Minister is coming to town for an event in a few days.

Later that day, Satish confronts Ayyan for giving his daughter exam questions to cheat. He also mentions that Sayali has told him everything, and he'll expose Ayyan and make people humiliate him. Ayyan seems pissed and immediately attacks Satish while threatening to get Keshav's men to beat him up. When he calms down, he says all he wants is for Adi to get everything their community has always been deprived of.

The two men eventually settle things, and Satish promises not to expose Adi. When Ayyan arrives home, he sees Adi crying because he doesn't want to be exposed. He then starts trying to remember the things he memorized. Ayyan looks sad and tries to get him to stop, but Adi doesn't listen to his dad.

As he hits his head on the wooden box, Oja enters the room and wonders what's happening. Adi just shouts at her and tells her to get out because he's not going to tell her the secret. Oja looks confused, and after Adi calms down, she asks Ayyan about the secret. Ayyan then confesses to her, and she looks devastated.

She also says she regrets marrying him because he's a bad father. The next day, Ayyan heads out with his family and calls Arvind to meet him at a nearby museum. Shortly after, Arvind arrives, and Ayyan gives him a letter to confirm his reinstatement at the institute. Arvind asks if Ayyan is trying to bribe him, but Ayyan says he doesn't actually want anything in return.

Serious Men (2020) Ending Explained

He adds that he brought Arvind to the museum for a different reason. As Arvind looks confused, Ayyan shows him the photo of a woman holding a young boy. He says it’s a photo of him and his mom, and this leaves Arvind surprised. Ayyan then mentions that the photo was taken by a photographer named Robert, who came to India for an assignment.

Ayyan says that when Robert arrived, his father heard rumors that the photographer was willing to pay a huge sum of money just to photograph a female farm laborer. Since Ayyan’s parents were laborers, his dad sent his mom to Robert, but the photographer said she looked too healthy. In two weeks, Ayyan's dad made his wife lose five kilograms, and Robert took a photo of her with Ayyan. The photo eventually won Robert a big prize, and he sent Ayyan's family a percentage of it.

However, Ayyan's mom died before they got the money, and she lost the baby she was carrying at the time. Ayyan's dad then chose to use the money to send Ayyan to school. Oja feels sorry for Ayyan, who says he had to do something when he noticed that their son was a slow learner. Arvind believes he had a good reason, but that his actions were wrong.

He then offers to help Ayyan with an exit strategy. The next day, Arvind goes on a radio show with Adi. He then tells the public that even though Adi is intelligent, the world has to let him grow and do things like a child. He also mentions that he hopes Adi's father doesn't turn him into an exhibition.

Days later, at Keshav's event, Adi is invited to give a speech. He looks nervous when he doesn't hear his dad through the Bluetooth device, but Ayyan eventually tells him to speak his mind. Following this, Adi goes up on stage and tells everyone that he’s not really a genius. He adds that his dad taught him everything he knows.

The guests assume that he's being humble, and they all applaud him. A while later, Ayyan and his family leave Mumbai, and Adi goes to another school. After Oja picks him up from school, she takes him to the beach to meet Ayyan, who is just staring at the ocean. Oja then tells Ayyan that Adi did well in his last exam, and it would be nice if Ayyan encouraged him to keep it up.

Ayyan just turns to her and says he doesn't engage with primitive minds like hers. As he also walks away, Adi looks confused and eventually goes to meet his dad to ask what they’ll do with the money Anuja gave to them. When Ayyan gets tired of his societal status, he decides to turn his son into a fake genius who will be respected like his arrogant boss. Things initially go well for them, but when a few people discover the truth, Ayyan realizes that he’s slowly destroying his child’s life.

Before it’s too late, he makes things right with Arvind’s help and chooses to let his son live freely. In this story, we learn that parents should let their children live freely instead of projecting their insecurities onto them.