Screenshot from a YouTube Video by user “Soch by Mohak Mangal” explaining why some Tamils are boycotting Family Man Season 2. An Indian action thriller TV show, The Family Man, launched its second season on Amazon Prime in May 2021 and has landed deep in controversy for portraying the Eelam Tamils (Lankan Tamils) in a highly colourist and problematic manner. The ruling DMK government and other political outfits demanded a ban on the TV show. In September 2019, OTT platform Amazon Prime released The Family Man — an Indian espionage series capturing the journey of a beguiling middle-class man from Mumbai who moonlights as a secret agent while navigating a stormy personal life. The first season of the series demonstrated layered storytelling as it traced deep-seated fears, simmering tensions, hidden desires, and freewheeling adventures alongside political commentary — all delivered with a dramatic punch. The narrative largely revolved around the geopolitical conflict in Kashmir, tying in violent extremist groups alongside absurdist humour — making the show a runaway summer hit whilst sparking conversation about hypernationalism and minority group stereotyping. The season two trailer was released on May 19, 2021, and frames the native people of Tamil Eelam as terrorists who join hands with ISIS and hatch destructive plans for personal gain. This drew immediate backlash from people within the Tamil community across India and Sri Lanka on social media for the incendiary, tone-deaf rhetorical script. Which many say oversimplified politics between the two countries. Nearly four weeks after the premiere, the series continues to draw strongly mixed reactions globally for labelling Eelam Tamils and their Tamil Nadu supporters as terrorists, fundamentally discrediting the Eelam Tamil movement and normalising an anti-Tamil narrative in the process. Rajmohan Arumugam, a YouTuber with a significant Tamil digital media presence, critiqued the show in a recent YouTube video: Translated excerpts from the video: Why are the words “Tamil Eelam” met with disgust and contempt? Why do these filmmakers fail to speak of the Official Language Act, 1956 also known as the Sinhala Only Act — which was imposed in Sri Lanka? Singapore’s Founding Father Lee Kuan Yew committed to keeping Tamil Language as an official Language as a dedication to the hardworking Tamils who built that nation. However, in Sri Lanka, a land where the Tamil people have historically been living together with the Sinhalese people — exclusionary policies were brought in to decimate — no one seems to bother recording any of these incidents in their celluloid fantasies. Audiences also questioned the mental health, gendered and socio-political impacts of the television show. Rajesh Rajamani, a film critic focused on Tamil cinema, reflects in an analysis of the series on Twitter: While the lives of Eelam Tamil refugees in India is already a struggle because of how the Indian Government controls their movement & how it affects their livelihood measures, the series makes their lives worse by portraying them as potential ‘militants’ or ‘terrorists’ . — Rajesh Rajamani (@rajamanirajesh) June 9, 2021 (Read the entire thread here.) The makers have also been accused of blithely indulging in divisive characterisations and formulaic creative decisions which are deeply disrespectful of those traversing inter-generational struggles for liberation, recovery and survival in contemporary times. For example, Samantha Akkineni, a fair-skinned South Indian actor plays the role of Raji (a female Eelam soldier) with brown-face makeup “to authentically portray the character”. This disgracefully peddles racist undertones and anti-black narratives and is rooted in racism. Twitter user @ridspids complained about the blatant colourism online: alright here's the deal : i am watching The Family Man s02. However, they had literally to darken Samantha Akkineni's skin to fit the character. Like bro just hire someone with a darker skin, it is not that hard — rids (@ridspids) June 8, 2021 Other reviews make important observations about how the series could add to the burden of already persecuted communities. Journalist @Bala_G tweets: The entire Family Man series is very problematic. Blatant Islamophobia. While they do try to make it ‘neutral’, it still is uncomfortable to watch. And that goes for the latest sequel as well. Samantha doing the ‘brown face’ was the least of the problems. And she's terrible tbh. — Bala (@Bala__G) June 6, 2021 For some fans, however, the criticisms seemed far-fetched and exaggerated. Many were taken with superficial markers of depiction associated with old-school Bollywood style and satisfied with middling efforts made.