Sharib Hashmi Reacts To Samantha Akkineni’s Skin Tone Criticism In The Family Man 2: “Why Cast Ayushmann In Bala?”

The Family Man season 2 is among those rare sequels that have lived up to the expectations of fans. While the audience is still vibing over Raj & DK’s new creation, the show has also been in the headlines for several controversies. Yes! In the run-up of the show’s release, the makers were also criticized for “brown facing” Samantha Akkineni’s character. A certain section of netizens got offended as they called it outright “racist”. And now, actor Sharib Hashmi, who plays JK in the show has commented on this ongoing frenzy.

Samantha played the role of a raging antagonist, Raji. Her character was the highlight of The Family Man 2. However, the actor sporting a brown face has irked a few netizens as they made some harsh comments against the makers. In a recent interview, Sharib has dismissed all the claims of racism. The actor mentioned how the decision of casting should be left on makers. He added that the team will opt for a better actor rather than going with someone who matches the character’s skin tone.

“These are creative decisions and you should give that freedom to the director. It’s his story, he should be in a position to do the casting. Why would you object to Samantha’s casting?” Sharib explained. Furthermore, Sharib also pointed out some interesting castings from Bollywood movies which were quite effective. The actor talked about Ayushmann Khurana’s bald character Bala and Saif Ali Khan’s desi goon Langda Tyagi.

“It’s like saying that they should have taken a bald actor in Bala and not Ayushmann Khurrana. By that logic, would you object to Saif Ali Khan’s casting in Omkara saying that the makers got a royal person for the role of a desi criminal?” Sharib stated.

Earlier, the creators of The Family Man, Raj & DK had opened up about the skin-tone criticism. They stated how Samantha’s skin tone can’t be compared to the “black face” practice in the west, wherein a white actor is cast as a black character. Also, the duo shared that Samantha plays a “warrior” and her character is “weather-beaten, sun-tanned, she doesn’t have time to look into the mirror.” They added Samantha was the right choice to play such a complex character.

Coming to The Family Man franchise, the show features, Manoj Bajpayee, Sharib Hashmi, and Priyamani in pivotal roles.

Meanwhile, stay tuned to ZEE5 for more updates.