‘Annapoorani’ removed from ‘Netflix’ for hurting religious sentiments

Nayanthara-starrer ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’ has been removed from ‘Netflix’ amid allegations that it hurts religious sentiments. The film was released theatrically on December 1 and started streaming on ‘Netflix’ on December 29. There have been protests claiming it ‘offends Hindu religious sentiments’ since then, with an FIR being lodged against its makers and cast in Mumbai on Monday. The film is about a Brahmin woman (Nayanthara) who comes from a conservative family and aims to become India’s top chef. Her classmate Farhan (Jai) helps her navigate the challenges, including cooking and eating meat.

The offending scenes in the film include a scene where she is seen cooking meat and wearing a hijab. The film’s co-producer, ‘Zee Studios’, also issued an apology letter and assured that the controversial scenes in the film will be removed and an edited version will be released. The official letter read, “We, as co-producers of the film, had no intention to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and Brahmin communities and would like to hereby apologise for the inconvenience and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities.”

The FIR was filed on January 8 by Rakesh Solanki, founder of the ‘Hindu IT Cell’, against the film’s lead actors Nayanthara and Jai, writer-director Nilesh Krishnaa, producers Jatin Sethi, R Ravindran and Punit Goenka, Zee Studios’ Chief Business Officer Shariq Patel and the head of ‘Netflix India’, Monika Shergill.

The activist wrote on ‘X’, “At a time when the whole world is rejoicing in anticipation of the Pran Pratishtha of Bhagwan Shri Ram Mandir, this anti-Hindu film ‘Annapoorani’ has been released on ‘Netflix’ produced by ‘Zee Studios’, ‘Naad Studios’ and ‘Trident Arts’. A daughter of Hindu Poojari offers Namaz to cook biryani. Love Jihad is promoted in this film. Farhan (actor) persuades the actor to eat meat, saying that Bhagwan Shri Ram was also a meat eater.”