Err, it is acting; it is meant to be subjective. There is no single truth that anyone who sees it differently would become delusional.
While Manoj was great, his performance was lacking in novelty, whereas Sam's role was far more exciting and new, and she was a revelation to most who had only seen her do the cutesy, bubbly roles she was made to play excessively in the South when she was capable of a lot more.
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