Samantha Akkineni on The Family Man 2: Raji is a tribute to those who died in an unequal war

Samantha Akkineni recently made her OTT debut in Amazon Prime Video’s The Family Man 2. The series hit the streaming giant on June 4 and the actress took to Instagram to post a heartfelt note about her digital debut and her character in Family Man 2. Sharing a photo with filmmakers Raj and DK, Samantha stated that although her character Raji - who is a highly skilled rebel operative - was fictional, she viewed it as a tribute to those “who died because of an unequal war.”

Samantha wrote about how Raji, as a character, is close to her heart: “When @rajanddk approached me to do the character, I was aware that portraying Raji's character required sensitivity and balance (sic),” the post read.

“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 (sic),” explained Samantha about the research that went into portraying Raji.

She added that documentaries about women in the civil war had helped her learn the grim realities they continue to face till date. “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 (sic),” she elaborated in the caption.

Samantha also opened up on how she was particular about the character’s portrayal being balanced. She wished for the character to function as a much-needed reminder for everyone to join hands and fight hate, oppression and greed. “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 (sic),” concluded the actress.