Samantha Akkineni says sorry for hurting sentiments in The Family Man: ‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’

Actor Samantha Akkineni has reacted to the controversy surrounding her show, The Family Man, where she played the role of a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel. While she received glowing praise for her performance, the Tamil Nadu government slammed the makers for portraying the Tamil Eelam in a negative light and urged the Centre to ban the show.

Tamil Nadu’s IT Minister T Mano Thangaraj had written a letter ahead of Family Man 2’s release that said that the series “not only hurt the sentiments of Eelam Tamils but also the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu”.

In an interview to Bollywood Hungama, Samantha apologised for hurting people’s sentiments, without addressing the topic directly. “I allow people to have their own opinions. If they decided to stay with that opinion, I am very sorry for hurting anyone’s sentiments. I sincerely apologise as it was not something I intended on doing at all. I did not mean to hurt anyone. So, if I did, I am extremely sorry. I am glad that, though, once the show did release, a lot of the noise stopped. I guess some saw it wasn’t so bad after all. For the people who didn’t and still continue to hold resentment, I sincerely apologise.”