'The Family Man-2': Amazon Prime demands Samantha to be tight-lipped?
Actress Samantha Akkineni, who plays the lead antagonist in The Family Man 2, has been reportedly ordered to not speak about the show by streamer Amazon Prime Video. The gag notice has been issued apparently to prevent any new controversy from developing before the second installment of the series premieres on June 4. The show has been receiving backlash ever since its trailer released.
The streamer does not want any new controversies
Bollywood Hungama quoted a trade source to report that Amazon Prime Video is trying hard to do damage control. "The gag order to refrain from speaking about the show is...so the audience feeling and sentiments that have been hurt can be assuaged," said the source. As Akkineni's character is reportedly a Sri Lankan suicide bomber with ties to ISI, she received the maximum flak.
Audience have not seen 'full range of what Akkineni portrays'
Commenting on the raging backlash, the source said the protests were happening now because the audience had only seen "a small part of what to expect, which could look a certain way." As far as Akkineni's character is concerned, the source said people "have not really seen the full range of what she portrays," indicating it was too early to judge.
Directors had urged people to criticize after watching the show
Makers had shared a similar statement before. Saying they were "very cognizant of the sentiments of the Tamil people," director duo Raj and DK had promised a "sensitive, balanced, and riveting story." Speaking to a portal, protagonist Manoj Bajpayee had said the second season was led primarily by Tamilians, who had done "everything possible to show their respect for the Tamil culture and sensibilities."
Objections came from the people as well as TN government
Netizens held the web series was showing Eelam Tamils as terrorists and started trending the hashtag #FamilyMan2_against_Tamils on Twitter. While some demanded a ban on the show, others boycotted Amazon services. Later, several politicians penned letters to authorities at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Even the Tamil Nadu government wrote a letter to Prakash Javadekar requesting prompt action against the thriller production.
