Highlights:
- The Tamil Nadu government has objected over portrayal of Eelam Tamils in an “extremely objectionable manner.”
- The trailer for Amazon Prime web series “The Family Man 2” has sparked widespread outrage in Tamil Nadu.
- The series will be released on Amazon Prime on June 4th of this year.
The Tamil Nadu government asked the Centre on Monday to take immediate action to either stop or ban the release of “The Family Man 2” on Amazon Prime, claiming that it portrayed Eelam Tamils in an “extremely objectionable manner.”
The second season of the action-drama, which revolves around an NIA official, was originally set to premiere in February but was postponed. On Amazon Prime Video on June 4th, it will be available. The second season’s trailer was released last week, whereas the first season was released in 2019.
T Mano Thangaraj, Tamil Nadu’s Information Technology Minister, claimed the trailer was released on social media to discredit and misrepresent the Eelam Tamils’ historical struggle in Sri Lanka, claiming the serial contained “condemnable, unacceptable, and malicious contents.”
More trouble for #Familyman2, Tamil Nadu Govt urges Union Minister @PrakashJavdekar to either stop or ban the release of the series in OTT, #AmazonPrime not only in Tamil Nadu but also across the country. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/42RvqiMb7c
— Janardhan Koushik (@koushiktweets) May 24, 2021
T Mano Thangaraj, in his letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar wrote, “I would like to say that the above serial has not only hurt the sentiments of Eelam Tamils but also the feelings of the citizens of Tamil Nadu on a large scale.”
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Mr Thangaraj argued that the sacrifices made during their long drawn democratic struggle had been purposefully undermined, and that it could not be considered merely a serial with any value for Tamil culture.
The letter further added, “A serial full of insults and innuendos aimed at the glorious Tamil community should never be considered to have any broadcasting value.”
“In the serial, Tamil actress Samantha portrayed as a terrorist is a direct attack on the dignity of Tamils all over the world, and no one can tolerate this kind of motivated and mischievous campaign,” he said.
Mr Thangaraj in his letter also said, “While our brethren in Eelam Tamils have been fighting for decades to enjoy the fruits of equality, justice, peace, and dignity in the island country, it is highly unwarranted for an organisation like Amazon Prime to launch this kind of smear campaign against the Tamils, who are the builders of India and many other nations.”
The web series’ social media backlash began shortly after the trailer was released. Political parties began to lend their support soon after.
Tamil nationalist and Naam Tamizhar Katchi chief S Seeman, who considers LTTE leader Prabhakaran to be his hero, was the first to call for a ban on The Family Man 2. After the DMK and AIADMK, his party came in third position in the polls of 2021.
According to him, The Family Man 2 depicted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a militant organisation and Tamils as violent people.
After former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991, the LTTE, which was created by Velupillai Prabhakaran in 1976 to establish an independent Tamil Eelam out of Sri Lanka, was banned in India.
