IFFM 2021: Samantha Akkineni pens heartfelt note as she wins big; The Great Indian Kitchen bags special award

Samantha Akkineni, who made her digital debut with the second season of the hit web series The Family Man 2, has won the Best Actress at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Samantha played the role of Raji, an LTTE rebel in the series. Apart from that, the Malayalam film 'The Great Indian Kitchen' has been awarded under a special category. 

Samantha is overwhelmed by this award as she penned a heartfelt note thanking her fans and director Raj and DK. She wrote, Thankyou @iffmelbourne. I am so so grateful .. Thankyouuu @rajanddk for being able to see beyond the 'cute girl’ image that many couldn’t look past .. as an actor I dreamed of being given such an opportunity.. the chance to play a layered and intense role. #Raji forced me to dig deep .. and I am beyond happy today to receive a certificate of approval for the perfomance."

Samantha was hugely appreciated for her role as Raji by critics and audiences as she played such an intense role for the first time. She shared the screen space in Family Man 2 with Manoj Bajpayee and Priyamani in the lead roles. 

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Director Jeo Baby's socio-critical Malayalam film 'The Great Indian Kitchen' has been awarded the Equality in Cinema (Feature) at IFFM 2021. The film featured Suraj Venjaramoodu and Nimisha Sajayan in lead roles. The film highlights the blind spots of the injustice towards a homemaker who is always taken for granted by both the women and the men of the house.