Nayanthara’s 75th film, Annapoorani, quietly premiered in theatres on December 1, 2023. The movie revolves around the character Annapoorani, portrayed by Nayanthara, and her childhood aspiration to become ‘India’s best chef.’ Breaking societal barriers, Annapoorani, hailing from an orthodox Brahmin family in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, learns to cook and embrace a new culinary perspective, including meat consumption. Her childhood friend Farhaan, played by Jai, supports her journey, drawing inspiration from a verse in Valmiki’s Ramayana, encouraging her to explore cooking meat and leaving the choice to consume it up to her discretion.
Director Vetrimaaran expressed that removing a film approved by the censor board from OTT platforms due to external pressures is detrimental to the film industry. He emphasised that only the censor board holds the authority to permit or deny the screening of a film.
“Pulling films that are censored by the CBFC due to external factors is not good for the film industry. Such decisions put the authority of the CBFC in question”, said Vetrimaaran.
Besides, Netflix decided to take down the film from its streaming platform due to allegations of “hurting religious sentiments,” following criticism from right-wing Hindu groups.
In Madhya Pradesh state, Nayanthara and two other individuals linked to the film face a police case. Allegations from hard-line Hindu groups, claiming insult to religious sentiments, have targeted numerous films and shows in recent years. In 2021, the team behind an Amazon Prime series, Tandav, issued an apology for the perceived mockery of Hindu gods following accusations.
Ramesh Solanki, identifying as the head of the organization “Hindu IT Cell,” lodged a complaint with Mumbai police regarding the film. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he asserted, “This film… is intentionally released to hurt Hindu sentiments.”
According to reports, a film producer has written to Vishwa Hindu Parishad, mentioning that the movie will be withdrawn from the platform until edited. Mahesh Bhatt responded by stating to Zoom, “We globally live in very sensitive times, and people involved in the mass entertainment business are compelled to reach the optimal number of people to achieve resounding success. Over the years, the world has drastically changed, and earlier, movie responses reached us through mainstream media gatekeepers.”
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