The Family Man Season 2 released successfully and without doubt ended up becoming a major hit already within just a few days of its release. The series received a lot of flak before it debuted but all those were perfectly squashed, the moment the season dropped. It’s no secret that Samantha Akkineni’s role received the biggest blow before the series dropped, but it was her role itself that attained mass support after the season dropped. But, even after all these Samantha Akkineni’s role still is going through criticism. What is it about Samantha Akkineni again that’s making people talk?
Well, anyone who has watched the trailer and watched the season will be able to tell what Samantha’s role is in it. She is a highly trained rebel who is out there trying to protect her Tamil motherland. She is part of a movement and trained soldier of the organisation who has carried out acts to make people aware of the presence of Tamil and that they are out here to make a difference and save their people from the atrocities of a particular government.
So, yes Samantha Akkineni’s character Raji is a badass soldier, but one thing that’s not leaving people’s mind is the fact how she has been made several shades darker than her regular skin tone. People have been going off on social media and saying that it somehow indicates racism, because that is how everyone assumes people down there to be dark and not fair in any sense. But, here’s what people got it wrong and the creators, Raj & DK too, have something to say on the issue.
In a recent interview they mentioned this certain issue. They clearly talked about how creating Raji and her having skin tone that’s a few shades darker is in no way linked to anything racist. They mentioned how they believe skin tone shouldn’t be an issue, and we believe that too because seeing it from Raji’s point of view she is not someone who will look after her skin tone. She is someone who is out there thinking how to avenge the people she has lost and what she can do for her motherland.
The creators mentioned how Samantha has trained so hard for her role. From going to martial arts classes to working out vigorously so that she does justice to her character, that’s something more important than the skin tone that people are discussing. Raji has been built as a killing machine, she has no fear, she is ready to take on any amount of men charging at her, she is built to dismember bodies skilfully (we definitely saw that in this season), she is built for fight and her skin tone is the last thing she is worried at the point.
The creators didn’t fail to mention that, this is how it works, to make things more real and more close to reality it is much needed. Skin tone should be the last of the worries for everyone, for her fans, for the viewers. No, the creators aren’t shaming anyone in any way. We as a whole are nowhere near milky white, we are all shades of brown, and as for someone whose character has trained so much outdoors, the skin tone is supposed to be what it actually is. There’s no hiding this fact.
We, as a nation, have a certain issue with skin tones. People find it humiliating when they are dark toned, but we can’t hide the fact that we are in fact brown. Even Samantha Akkineni herself is brown, maybe several shades lighter but most definitely brown. Being brown is nothing wrong, because that’s what we are. You can never take away your identity based on skin tones.
More than skin tone, people should first of all try and accept, where everyone comes from, where the character comes from and most importantly for Samantha Akkineni, people need to applaud her efforts to bring justice to the character flawlessly, rather than worrying about her having flawless skin.
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