Indian State Seeks Ban On Amazon’s ‘The Family Man’ Over Portrayal Of Sri Lankan Tamils

The South Indian state of Tamil Nadu has written a letter to India’s information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar as they demand a ban on Amazon Prime Video’s Indian series, The Family Man. They have asked for the ban claiming it depicts Sri Lankan Tamils in a “highly objectionable manner”.

This objection has come merely based on the trailer itself. The series is set to premiere on June 4. Tamil Nadu seems to share a deep linguistic and cultural connection with Sri Lanka’s Tamil speaking population.

The conflict between the island nation’s majority Sinhala population and the minority Tamils have led to the civil war that lasted almost 25 years. It ended in 2009. In the letter, the contents of The Family Man is deemed as “inappropriate and malicious”. The letter also claims that it is aimed at “discrediting and distorting the historical struggle of Tamils in Sri Lanka”.

It further reads that the sacrifices of their long drawn out democratic battle have been undermined and it could be considered as a serial with any value for Tamil culture. The letter states, “Moreover, a serial which is loaded with insults and insinuations against the glorious Tamil culture could never be considered as the one having any broadcasting value. For example, branding Tamil speaking actress Samantha as (a) terrorist in the serial is directly an attack on the pride of Tamils living around the world and no one will tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign.”

“Some assumptions and impressions have been made based on just a couple of shots in the trailer”

The Family Man is created by Krishna D.K. and Raj Nidimoru. Its first season was a hit for Amazon when it streamed back in 2019. The series features Manoj Bajpayee who won Asia Pacific Screen Award for best actor. He won the award for Aligargh and Bhonsle. The actor portrays the role of a seemingly dull government employee who has a secret life as an anti-terrorist agent.

Its second season, however, introduces Samantha Akkineni to the cast. The letter further states that Tamils are struggling for decades to enjoy the fruits of “equality, justice, peace and dignity in the island nation”. However, it added that it is “highly unwarranted” for Amazon Prime to undertake the kind of “smear campaign against the Tamils”.

Further, the letter reads that the trailer has “not only hurt the sentiments of (Sri Lankan) Tamils but also the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu”. It added that if allowed to broadcast, it would be “prejudicial” to maintain the harmony in Tamil Nadu.

“Some assumptions and impressions have been made based on just a couple of shots in the trailer,” said Nidimoru and Krishna in a statement shared with Variety. They further added that many of their lead cast members and team members are Tamilians. The creators further clarified that they are “cognizant” of the sentiments of the Tamil people and culture and have nothing but love and respect.

They added, “We have put in years of hard work into this show, and we have taken great pains to bring to our audiences a sensitive, balanced, and riveting story – much like we did in Season 1 of the show. We request everyone to wait and watch the show when it releases. We know you’ll appreciate it once you watch it.”

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