Nayanthara’s film ‘Annapoorni’ removed from Netflix after backlash; Zee Studios issues apology
Activist Solanki accused the film of being 'anti-Hindu' and claimed that it promoted 'Love Jihad' while depicting Lord Ram as a meat eater
Recently, Nayanthara’s latest film, ‘Annapoorni: The Goddess of Food,’ faced trouble and got taken down from Netflix after it sparked controversy by showing Lord Ram as a man eater and also promoting love Jihad. The film, directed by Nilesh Krishnaa, initially hit theaters on December 1, 2023, and later started streaming on Netflix on December 29.
The controversy emerged when activist Ramesh Solanki filed an FIR against the film’s makers, including Nayanthara, Jai, Nilesh Krishna, and producers like Jatin Sethi, R Ravindran, and Punit Goenka. Solanki accused the film of being ‘anti-Hindu’ and claimed that it promoted ‘Love Jihad’ while depicting Lord Ram as a meat eater. The complaint also pointed out specific scenes that, according to Solanki, hurt religious sentiments, such as a daughter of a Hindu Poojari offering Namaz to cook Biryani.
Netflix removed ‘Annapoorni’ from its platform on January 10, in response to the escalating controversy. Zee Studios, the production house involved, issued an apology to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, assuring that the film would be withheld from the platform until it undergoes edits to remove objectionable content.
Zee Studios’ official statement read, “We have no intentions as co-producers of the film to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and the Brahmin community and would like to hereby apologize for the inconvenience caused and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities.”
‘Annapoorni’ tells the story of an ambitious woman from a conservative background torn between her passion and traditional values. The film explores the challenges she faces in pursuing her dreams while following orthodox ideals ingrained since childhood. It features Nayanthara, Jai, Sathyaraja, Achyuth Kumar, KS Ravikumar, Karthik Kumar, and Renuka in important roles.
The controversy has stirred discussions not only on social media but also resulted in protests outside Netflix’s headquarters by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, demanding the removal of the film.
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