Netflix has removed the Tamil film Annapoorani after Hindu right wing groups kicked up a controversy over scenes in the film that supposedly hurt religious sentiments. The producers of Annapoorani, Zee Studio have also issued a letter of apology to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an affiliate of the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
In the letter, Zee Studio said, “We have no intentions as co-producers of the film to hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu and Brahmin communities and would hereby like to apologise for the inconvenience and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities.”
The letter also said that Zee Studio was working with the co-producers Trident Arts to remove the film from Netflix until it could be edited. It may be noted that the film already had a theatrical release in Tamil Nadu in December last year, meaning that it had already been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Annapoorani follows the story of a Brahmin woman (Nayanthara) from a conservative family who goes on to become a top chef. The Hindu Right wing alleged that the protagonist’s decision to eat and cook meat, her friendship with a Muslim character (Jai) and a dialogue that suggests that the Hindu god Ram ate meat, offended their religious sentiments.
Read: FIR against Nayanthara, Jai, Annapoorani filmmakers for ‘offending Hindu sentiments’
Earlier on January 8 an FIR was filed against the 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 FIR was registered in Mumbai, based on a complaint filed by a man named Ramesh Solanki, founder of the Hindu IT Cell.