Annapoorani row: Nayanthara tenders apology, highlights 'removal of censored film' in same breath

Nayanthara's film Annapoorani sparked controversy with a meat-eating reference to Lord Ram. Following complaints from Hindu groups of disseminating "anti-Hindu" narrative, Netflix removed the film from its platform last week. Now, the actor has issued an apology over the same.

Hyderabad:Nayanthara starrer Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food, hit theatres on December 1, 2023. The film then was made available on the streaming platform Netflix only to be marred in controversy. In a surprise turn of events, the OTT platform took down the film as it courted controversy over a dialogue on Lord Ram.

Nayanthara's latest film Annapoorani found itself marred in controversies for featuring a Hindu Brahmin desiring to be a chef and cooking meat with a reference to the Hindu God Lord Ram. It offended many people's religious beliefs, and a lawsuit was filed against the film's makers. Following the film's withdrawal from Netflix, Nayanthara, has posted a lengthy message apologising for any harm caused.

Nayanthara's lengthy message on her Instagram account was captioned: "God bless" (with folded hands emoji). It was shared in English, Tamil, and Hindi, and started off with a bold Jai Shri Ram written at the top. The post read: "In our sincere attempt to share a positive message, we may have inadvertently caused hurt. We did not expect the removal of a censored film, previously showcased in theatres, from the OTT platform. My team and I never intended to hurt anyone's sentiments and we understand that the gravity of this issue. Being someone who wholely believes in God and frequently visits temples accross the country, it is the last thing I would intentionally do. To those whose feelings we've touched, I extend my sincere and heartfelt apologies."

For the unversed, a Shiv Sena leader accused her of hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community in the film by making a statement about Lord Ram. The film is about Annapoorani (Nayanthara), who comes from a traditional Brahmin family in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. She wants to become a top chef in India. However, she encounters difficulties since she is caught between her passion and traditional ideals.

With the help of classmate Farhan (Jai), she ventures outside of her comfort zone and begins eating meat. It is because Farhan persuades Annapoorani to consume meat. He goes on to say that Lord Ram ate meat, and that eating non-vegetarian cuisine is not a sin. Ramesh Solanki, the founder of the Hindu IT cell, resorted to X (previously Twitter) to express his disappointment with the film.

He also filed a complaint with the police after which the film was removed from the OTT platform. The lawsuit was filed against actors Nayanthara and Jai, writer-director Nilesh Krishna, producers Jatin Sethi, R Ravindran, and Punit Goenka, Zed Studios Chief Business Officer Shariq Patel, and Monika Shergill, the head of Netflix India.

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