Nayanthara’s ‘Annapoorani’ removed from Netflix after backlash for hurting Hindu sentiments

Nayanthara in a still from ‘Annapoorani’

Annapoorani, the recent Tamil film headlined by Nayanthara, has been removed from the streaming platform Netflix just weeks after its digital premiere. This comes after a police complaint was lodged against the actors, makers and the streaming platform for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus.

Annapoorani, directed by Nilesh Krishnaa, tells the story of an aspiring chef from an orthodox Brahmin family, whose father, a temple priest, forbids her from joining a culinary school citing she’d have to cook meat to pass the course. The titular character questions this mindset and chooses to make her own path to the top of the culinary world. The film was released on December 1 to average reviews and later premiered on Netflix on December 29.

On 6th January, Ramesh Solanki, a Hindu activist and founder of Hindu IT Cell, filed an FIR at a police station in Mumbai, Maharashtra, requesting the film be taken down from the platform. The complaint states that the film hurt Hindu sentiments as it features a Hindu priest’s daughter offering namaz to cook chicken biriyani. The reasons stated in the complaint also include that the film promotes Love Jihad and that it’s condemnable for the character of Farhan (played by Jai) to state that Lord Ram and Sita were meat-eaters.

Following this, on 9th January, the film’s co-producers Zee Studios responded with a letter addressed to Vishwa Hindu Parishad that they are co-ordinating with Netflix and co-producers Trident Arts to “remove the film from the platform until edited.” Today, the film was removed from Netflix. It remains unknown if and when an edited version of the film will be re-released on the platform.

Annapoorani also features Sathyaraj, Achyuth Kumar, KS Ravikumar, Redin Kingsly, Achyuth Kumar, Kumari Sachu, Renuka, Karthik Kumar and Suresh Chakkaravarthy in pivotal roles.