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Irate Tamil netizens call for ban on The Family Man 2 over the sensitive subject of the portrayal of Tamils as ‘terrorists’
The recently-released trailer of the Manoj Bajpai-Samantha web series The Family Man 2 has sparked a controversy over the sensitive subject of the portrayal of Tamils as ‘terrorists.’ Specific bits of dialogue have particularly incensed Tamilians, and netizens have begun a social media campaign demanding a ban on the series and an apology from Raj and DK, directors of the show. The hashtags #FamilyMan2_against_Tamil s and #ShameOnYouSamantha have been trending on online platforms.
Samantha Akkineni joined the second part of the Family Man series this season, as an antagonist. She reportedly plays a human bomb, a fictional extremist leader named Raji, whose Tamil catchline is ‘Naan ellarayum kolluven’ (I will kill everybody).
Ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka are often associated with the LTTE and presented as extremists in films, and the people of Tamil Nadu find the negative portrayal unacceptable. Earlier, Santhosh Sivan’s Inam was pulled out of theatres after Tamil outfits demanded a ban on showing the Tamils
Lanka in poor light.
Actor/filmmaker /politician Seeman of Naam Tamilar Katchi issued a strong statement on Friday, alleging that Tamils were presented in bad light in The Family Man 2, and calling for a ban on the show, it of
has for Sri just as Inam and Madras Café were banned earlier. He also warned of dire consequences if the show goes on air.
Seeman said, “In the trailer, an Eelam girl (Samantha) was seen wearing a uniform similar to that of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and she has been portrayed as a terrorist. I don’t think that the line in the trailer, which says that ‘there’s a connection between ISI and Tamil rebels’, is coincidental. The dialogues also say there’s a hostage situation in Chennai. This is highly condemnable and I warn the makers of The Family Man 2 that they will face serious consequences if the show goes on air.”
Though writer/journalist Ravi Shankar said “Just by the trailer, we cannot come to any conclusion,” he clarified that “If the series has anything that hurts the Tamils and Eelam Tigers, then it is not acceptable.”
“As there’s no censorship for OTT content, the platforms utilize their creative freedom and stream various kinds of content, including adult content, to grab viewers’ attention,” feels trade analyst Sura, adding, “Unless a government regulatory body is in place, such hassles will continue.”
The show, which is scheduled to air on Amazon Prime on June 4, also features Priyamani, Seema Biswas, Vedant Sinha and Tamil actors like Mime Gopi, Devadarshini, Anandsami etc.
While Samantha was not available for comment, DC was told on behalf of the makers that they would speak about the matter closer to the time of release.
“I don’t think that the line in the trailer,
which says that ‘there’s a connection between ISI and Tamil rebels’, is coincidental. The dialogues also say there’s a hostage situation in Chennai. This is highly condemnable.”
Seeman, Actor/filmmaker
/politician
Just by the trailer, we cannot come to any conclusion but if the series has anything that hurts the Tamils and Eelam Tigers, then it is not acceptable
— RAVI SHANKAR,