'Be A Film Fanatic': Director Perarasu To Vetrimaaran Over Annapoorani Controversy

Nayanthara starrer Annapoorani has now been removed from Netflix days after releasing on the OTT platform after it was accused of hurting religious sentiments. The Tamil movie was directed by the debutant director Nilesh Krishnaa and starred Nayanthara in the lead role. The movie was produced by Jatin Sethi and R Ravindran under the banner of Zee Studios, Naad Studios and Trident Arts. After the removal of the movie, several actors and directors came in support of the movie and called the removal authoritative. The popular filmmaker Vetrimaaran too extended his support for the makers and said 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. Now, the Tamil director Perarasu has reacted to director Vetrimaaran’s statement in his latest social media post. The post has been removed by the filmmaker now.

According to media reports, the director Perarasu schooled Vetrimaaran over his selective bias for the movies. In his post, the director said that he welcomes the opinions of Vetrimaaran. However, his love for the cinema would have been confirmed if he had voiced his opinions during the release of the movie The Kerala Story. “His voicing out only for Annapoorani, shows the director’s particular hatred against certain castes. Be a film fanatic, Vetrimaaran.“ read the post of director Perarasu as quoted in the report of Times of India. Kerala Story was highly criticised during its release. It was accused of promoting communal disharmony through the movie.

Similarly, Nayanthara starrer Annapoorani also faced criticisms over hurting the sentiments of the Hindu devotees. Former Shiv Sena leader Ramesh Solanki filed a police complaint against the film alleging it hurts the ‘sentiments of the Hindu community.’ He accused the film of being anti-Hindu and pointed out some controversial scenes which included one in which lord Ram was claimed to be a meat eater. As reported by India Today, Zee Studios, one of the producers of the film, has written to Vishwa Hindu Parishad stating that the movie will be removed from the platform until edited.