“Why would we show Tamilians in a bad light?” argues Raj Nidimoru on The Family Man season 2
Raj Nidimoru, one-half of the Raj-DK directorial duo, who is half-Tamilian, is baffled by the unfounded backlash against The Family Man Season 2. “A large number of the unit members for Family Season 2 are Tamil. Samantha Akkineni who plays the Tamilian character considers Tamil Nadu to be her home. I am half-Tamil. Other actors and technicians on the show are also from Tamil Nadu. Plus, we are all responsible citizens supremely sensitive to the politics and culture of Tamil Nadu. Why would we show Tamilians in a bad light?” wonders Raj in response to the growing protest against the streaming of the series from June 4.
The latest to join the clamour for a ban is Rajya Sabha member Vaiko who has written to the Information & Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar asking for a ban on the series. Curiously the letter refers to Samantha as “Samandha” and accuses the series of “depicting Tamilians as terrorists and ISI agents and having link (sic) with Pakistan.”
There is no terrorist outfit called the ISI. What is probably alluded to is ISIS. From the trailer, Samantha’s character is also being trolled for her skin being painted black.
Protests Raj Nidimoru, “Painting black is racist. Samantha plays a woman who spends a lot of time in the heat of the sun. Her skin is tanned because her character is exposed extensively to the sun. She is in character, and there are no racial slurs, no references to any terrorist organizations. Just as Manoj Bajpayee’s character has an agenda, Samantha’s character too has an agenda. Judge her character after seeing the series, not on the basis of the trailer.”
