The Family Man 2 star Samantha Akkineni believes her character 'Raji's story, though fictional, is a tribute to those that died because of an unequal war'

By Tanmayi Savadi

on June 06, 2021 01:10:29 PM

Samantha Akkineni needs no introduction. The actress, who is primarily active in the Tamil and Telugu film industries, made her Bollywood and web debut in Raj & DK's The Family Man 2. Samantha chose a layered character to display another side of her craft. She played the role of Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamilian who is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and is a fighter pilot. Now, as The Family Man 2 is garnering much appreciation, Samantha penned a detailed note thanking all for their love and admiration.

Sharing an unseen BTS picture with the creators, writers and directors- Raj & DK, Samantha said 'portraying Raji's character required sensitivity and balance'. She further added that after watching documentaries of the Tamil struggle that included stories of women in the Eelam war, she was 'aghast and shocked by the troubles and unspeakable grief' they went through over an extended period of time. "I noticed that the aforementioned documentaries had only a few thousand views and that is when it dawned on me how the world just looked away when tens of thousands people of Eelam lost their lives. And, lakhs more lost their livelihood and their homes. *Countless many* continue to live in far away lands with the wounds of the civil strife still fresh in their hearts and minds," Samantha added.

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A post shared by Samantha Akkineni (@samantharuthprabhuoffl)

The actress shared, "Raji's story, though fictional, to me, is a tribute to those that died because of an unequal war, and those who continue to live in the painful memory of the war. I was particular about Raji's portrayal being balanced, nuanced, and sensitive. I want Raji's story to be a stark, much-needed reminder for us, more than ever before, to come together as humans to fight hate, oppression, and greed. If we fail to do so, countless more will be denied their identity, liberty, and their right to self-determination."

The Family Man 2 also stars Manoj Bajpayee, Sharib Hashmi, Priya Mani, Sunny Hinduja, Shahab Ali, Ashlesha Thakur, Vedant Sinha, Mime Gopi, Ravindra Vijay, Abhishek Shankar, Mime Gopi, Azhagam Perumal, Srikrishna Dayal and Anand Sami among several others. The web show premiered on June 4 on Amazon Prime Video.

(Source: Instagram)