Samantha in ‘The Family Man 2’; She said, achieved & conquered hearts

Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

The name is trending in the entertainment circles today. With her presence in ‘The Family Man 2’ series, the actress conquered millions of hearts, including those who hated her. With this one project, Samantha marked her debut both in Bollywood as well as the OTT space. Samantha essayed Rajalekshmi Chandran, aka Raji, and introduced the other side of her being an actress in ‘The Family Man 2’.

When Samantha made her debut back in 2010 with ‘Ye Maya Chesave,’ no one would have expected that she would emerge as one of the most sophisticated and successful actresses. Year by year, film by film, Samantha rediscovered herself, which is why she got this amazing character in the web series.

As a terrorist leader, Samantha is a perfect choice. She is the main villain in season 2 of the super hit series. Tamilians in Srilanka fought for decades for their rights and underwent many struggles. There were many untold stories about the atrocities of the Srilankan army against the helpless Tamilians. By constantly exploiting the Tamilians in Eelam, the army men used to kill the men and rape the women. There are many troubles and unspeakable grief that the world will probably never know. Every war happens for a reason, and the tales behind the reason drive people to either do good or kill bad. A lot of people lost lives in Eelam, and a lakhs lost livelihood. Samantha’s character was born within this struggle. From undergoing all the exploitation physically, mentally, and emotionally, the character Raji waits for her turn to make it a point to the world about her struggle and her people. The path she chose is not acceptable, but she is born for the movement. In one of the scenes, she says, “I will protect our Tamil race,” and she stands for the same until her last breath.

While watching the series, from the minute Samantha appears on the screen, and you will forget who she is. The writing is so brilliant that the audiences instantly get engrossed in the drama unfolding on the screen. Especially, the initial few scenes where the directors established Samantha’s character gives us a taste of Samantha’s conviction in accepting the character. Not many would dare to accept a scene like a random bully on a local bus molesting and groping her breast. A couple more scenes are a part of the series that are bold yet relevant for the character Samantha played. Samantha put her stardom, fan base, and everything aside and jumped into the shoes of Raji in such a way that audiences won’t feel the presence of Samantha at least for a second in portraying a single emotion.

Performance-wise, Samantha re-discovered herself totally and brilliantly. The way she emotes, cries, expresses anger and pain is very different from what she had done in her earlier films so far. The actress treated this as her very first assignment in films. The police station fight, murdering spinning mill boss, escaping from cops, and finding a solution for clearing her lorry at the checkpoint are written beautifully. Samantha took them to the next level, adding her performance.

Samantha played a de-glam role in Rangasthalam, directed by Sukumar. However, it is still on the lines of commercial cinema format. But, the de-glam appearance Samantha sported in ‘The Family Man 2’ is totally different. Samantha made sure to look like a Tamilian from Eelam. Since she hails from Tamilnadu, the actress dubbed on her own, and it added so much beauty to her character.

Coming to the controversy part, there is nothing that Samantha did in the series, which is against the Tamil community. There is no element to point fingers at, and everything that took place before the release is just a misunderstand and over-enthusiasm of a few people who tried to catch some attention. Tamilians and her critics would be proud of Samantha’s performance in the series. Samantha did the right thing by being tight-lipped about the controversy or the character she played in the series. She let the audiences discover the truth themselves, and today, all her efforts paid off.

But, there is a lot that Samantha has to say about this character. Accepting a role like this is not easy for anyone. But, Samantha found her calling, made a vision, and stick to it. That’s how she prepared herself to play Raji. She shared the same on Instagram after getting overwhelmed with all the positive reviews about the series.

“Reading all the reviews and comments fills my heart with so much joy. RAJI will always be special.” shared Samantha.

Talking about the character, she revealed, When @rajanddk approached me to do the character, I was aware that portraying Raji’s character required sensitivity and balance. The creative team shared documentaries of the Tamil struggle that included stories of women in the Eelam war. When I watched those documentaries, I was aghast and shocked by the troubles and unspeakable grief that the Tamils of Eelam 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 also added, “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.”

An altogether new Samantha is born with this series that will haunt us for a while and will remain memorable in the history of cinema. Kudos to Samantha!

‘The Family Man’ season 2 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Raj-DK duo, the series features Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Sharad Kelkar, Neeraj Madhav, Sharib Hashmi, Dalip Tahil, Sunny Hinduja, and Shreya Dhanwanthary in the lead roles.