With the end of Kareem’s chapter in the last episode, the fifth episode of The Family Man focuses on the scooter bomber and Mission Zulfiqar. Altaf bhai, who earlier met with Kareem, meets the scooter bomber. His name is Sajid. He is one of the students of Victoria College who was arrested for allegedly being anti-national. We find out that Faizan protected Sajid from surveillance by using Kareem as a bait. Altaf bhai tells him that they got Kareem to use the drop box but whatever he planned afterwards was his own mind. Altaf also apprises Sajid about mission Zulfiqar and his requirement for the same. To evade any scrutiny, Altaf advises Sajid to move out from the hostel.

TASC still reels from the shock of their failed operation. An enquiry is raised against Srikant. Senior officers of the NIA (National Investigation Agency) question him about the details of their operation and the evidence that lead them to carry out the encounter. The senior officers are aware of the actual events that happened rather than the concocted story that is given out to the media. In a bid to clear Srikant of all the charges, the officers conclude that killing Kareem and his partners looks like Force One’s call and not TASC’s. However, Srikant says that it was his operation and thus, he should be held accountable for it.

Altaf bhai meets Sajid at his new place and gives him all the details about mission Zulfiqar. Altaf instructs him to go to Srinagar and gives him money and tickets for the same. Sajid is supposed to meet a Basharat Ali there. Sajid has bitter memories of Srinagar which come back to him with the mention of its name.

While the officers’ decision regarding the enquiry against Srikant is pending, he and JK visit the hospital. Asif’s condition shows improvement and the doctors say that he is stable. Moosa is also recovering and will be discharged in 3-4 days. He and the nurse, Mary have something going on. Srikant again tries to get some information out of Moosa but to no use.

Srikant is distressed and copes in this situation through fixing the broken furniture of his house. Back with his boss, Srikant is told that he is being transferred to Srinagar temporarily. His boss also tells him that he is lucky that he didn’t get suspended.

Angry and disturbed, Srikant calls his other boss, Kulkarni. He tells him that he feels like a murderer who killed three innocent boys. He is also upset about the fact that the boys are being projected in the news as terrorists. His boss understands his agony and tells him that no matter how bad it may seem, it is for the greater good of the country and for TASC that the events of the actual incident don’t leak. Srikant is encouraged to focus on TASC and hunting down terrorists. 

In the next scene, Pasha, Srikant and JK catch up to drown their sorrows over drinks. They are dejected and guilty. At home, Suchi tells her kids about her new job.

Cut to the hospital where Moosa sits on his bed, crying. The nurse, Mary, comes in and he tells her that he doesn’t want to get better because Srikant and his team will interrogate him in hostile conditions. Mary empathises with him and in a moment of intimacy, they kiss. He gives an emotional account of his family and tells her that his mother is the only one left for him. It is his mother’s birthday tomorrow and he is upset that he won’t be able to wish her this time. Touched by his story, Mary gives him her phone so that he can wish his mother. This makes their bond stronger.

Srikant prepares to go to Srinagar. Suchi is concerned about him and the ongoing cold war between her and Srikant. JK tells her that his transfer is a sort of a punishment for the enquiry against him and assures her that he isn’t going on a dangerous mission. Srikant gives instructions to his kids to not trouble their mother in his absence and coldly wishes goodbye to Suchi. Dhriti is concerned about her parents’ strained relationship and quizzes her mother about it. Suchi tells her that everything is fine between them and asks Dhriti not to worry.

In Pakistan, Major Sameer informs a General about the developments in Mission Zulfiqar. Sameer tells him that a Mujahid stuck in India will be able to get out in 3-4 days. It seems like he is talking about Moosa. Did Moosa secretly contact Sameer instead of his mother through Mary’s phone?

Turns out, Kulkarni has transferred him to Srinagar only so that he can find out about Mission Zulfiqar. The boss had intel that a key asset involved in the mission has reached Srinagar. Looks like he is talking about Sajid. Srikant reaches Srinagar at the same time as Sajid. Both of them are picked from the airport by their respective organisations. In this scene, we see many beautiful shots of Srinagar as Srikant and Sajid are being taken to their respective places of work.

Meanwhile, Moosa and Mary form a close connection at the hospital. Moosa wants to see Asif but he doesn’t have permission to do so. He takes Mary’s access card and gets into Asif’s room with an injection in his hand. Moosa wakes him up and Asif communicates with him through pen and paper. Asif asks him if he has given in to the persuasive interrogation of the authorities. Moosa declines and in response, gives him an injection. We find out that the injection has potassium in it and Moosa gives it to him to kill him. This will prevent Asif from opening his mouth about Mission Zulfiqar. Now this is something nobody expected! This comes as a surprising twist because till this point, the audience believed that Moosa is innocent and knows nothing about Zulfiqar.

The episode ends with a lot of questions about the lives of all the characters. Will Srikant be successful in finding out about Mission Zulfiqar in Srinagar? What will happen to Srikant and Suchi’s relationship? Did Moosa seduce Mary to communicate with the terrorists in Pakistan? I hope we find out the answers in the next episode.  

Episode rating: 3.5/5