PremiumThe Family Man season 2 actor Samantha Akkineni apologises for ‘hurting sentiments’
The actress also added that she is glad that the noise around it has died down after the release of the web series.
Last Updated: 02.12 PM, Aug 25, 2021
Talented actor Samantha Akkineni made waves with her gritty act as the Tamil liberation fighter Raji in Amazon Prime Video’s The Family Man season 2 released on June 4. However, the popular series helmed by Raj and DK also swiftly faced fire for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Tamil people and their culture with its depiction of Raji. Many politicians had also objected to the content of the show and demanded its ban. The Tamil Nadu government had also expressed the disapproval of casting Samantha as a ‘terrorist’.
ALSO READ: Samantha Akkineni on The Family Man’s Raji: People didn’t know I could do this role so convincingly
However, the Eega actor has cleared the air in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, issuing an official apology for hurting ‘anyone’s sentiments.’ She said that people are entitled to have their own opinions and it is up to them to stand firm on the same if they are so convinced. Samantha said that while it was not her intention to offend anyone, she is ‘extremely sorry’ if some people had problems with the content even after watching the show. She also added that she is glad that a ‘lot of noise stopped’ after the show premiered on Amazon Prime Video. “I guess some saw that it wasn’t so bad after all.” said the Nandi-award-winning actor.
Watch the trailer of the web series here.
Indian Express had reported earlier that the Rajya Sabha member and MDMK leader Vaiko had expressed his discontent and reservations against the depictions of the Tamil rebels in the series and the Eelam Tamil movement in his letter to then Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar. “These descriptions have hurt the sentiments of Tamil people and Tamil culture and are offensive against the Tamil community,” the letter read. A Tamil Nadu minister T Mano Thangaraj had also raised objections to ‘branding Tamil-speaking actress Samantha as terrorist’ in his letter to the minister.
Back in May, users on Twitter, Instagram, and social media too had criticised the plot points and characterisation of Tamil rebels.
Samantha plays the formidable Raji, locking horns with Manoj Bajpayee’s NIA agent Srikant Tiwari in the show that is set in Chennai. The Family Man season 2 won big at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021. Manoj Bajpayee won the Best Actor in a series while Samantha bagged the Best Actress in a series. The web series marked her big foray into OTT. While commenting on her win at the festival, the 35-year old actor expressed her gratitude to Raj and DK for giving her ‘so many layers and diverse parts’ in Raji’s character.