I'm just an actor who wants to excel: Samantha Akkineni
South actor Samantha Akkineni, who became a pan-India sensation following the success of The Family Man season two, says she has never picked up roles based on her perceived image as a star. Taking up The Family Man, a predominantly Hindi web series directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, was just another attempt at doing something she hasn't done before, she said.
I am constantly trying to better my craft: Akkineni
"I don't think any of my decisions have been made based on my star image. I never made such calls. I don't even know what exactly my star image is. I'm just an actor who wants to excel," she said. "I'm a very greedy actor who wants to be offered everything, to constantly try evolving, trying to better my craft," she added.
I pick roles I think I can't pull off: Akkineni
"Generally, I pick roles I don't think I can pull off. There's great fun in that," Akkineni said in her interview. The second season of the critically acclaimed show, The Family Man, saw Akkineni in the role of Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamil liberation fighter, who faces off against intelligence agent Srikant Tiwari, played by series lead Manoj Bajpayee.
She also addressed the controversy around 'The Family Man'
Akkineni, whose credits include Telugu and Tamil films like Eega, Mahanati, Mersal, and Super Deluxe, also addressed the controversy around The Family Man. Ahead of the release of the new chapter in June, there were calls for a boycott of the series in Tamil Nadu, including IT Minister T Mano Thangaraj, over its alleged depiction of Eelam Tamils.
People slammed makers for 'brown facing' the rather fair-skinned actor
While the show mostly received favorable reviews, especially for Akkineni's performance, many also slammed the makers for "brown facing" the rather fair-skinned actor. All in all, the Chennai-born star said she looks back on the experience "only with love."
I did not play Raji as a villain: Akkineni
"I didn't play Raji as a villain. She was just on the wrong side of history. She was loyal to her cause and that was it. I didn't even for one moment think of her as a villain," she added. "I just gave my 100 percent and waited for the show to come out and for people to see what we've done," she said.
