Zee Studious has issued an apology to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and removed the Nayanthara-starrer Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food from Netflix after an FIR was filed against the film for allegedly 'hurting' religious sentiments of the Hindu and Brahmin communities.
After making its theatrical debut on 1 December 2023, the Tamil movie began streaming on Netflix on 29 December.
What Happened?
The complaint was filed in Mumbai on Saturday, 6 January, by Rakesh Solanki, founder of the Hindu IT Cell, who alleged that several scenes in the film 'offend Hindu sentiments' and promote 'love Jihad'.
The film has also been embroiled in controversy due to an alleged scene that interpreted Hindu deity Lord Rama as a meat eater.
In its apology letter, Zee Studious wrote, "We have no intentions as co-producers of the film to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and Brahmins community and would like to hereby apologise for the inconvenience caused and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities."
Following the controversy, Annapoorani was pulled off Netflix on 10 January. The makers stated in their letter that the film will be removed from the OTT platform until it is edited to erase the objectionable content.
Annapoorani is directed by Nilesh Krishnaa and follows the story of a Brahmin woman (played by Nayanthara), who defies social odds to become India's top chef.
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