Nayanthara apologizes for 'Annapoorani' controversy: 5 similar cases
India is a country heavily influenced by cinema and religion. From burning effigies to protests to calling for boycotts, film industries across the country have faced flak for allegedly hurting religious statements. Recently, Nayanthara's Annapoorani was taken down from Netflix after being accused of being "anti-Hindu." As the actor shared an apology, we look back at other such instances in the past.
'PK' (2014)
The Aamir Khan starrer faced flak for taking a dig at godmen and unscrupulous religious practices. Khan apologized and stated, "I want to say I feel bad if I hurt a single person... that was not my intention at all. Whatever we wanted to tell we told that because it was an important point. But I want to apologize if I hurt people."
'Padmaavat' (2018)
In 2017, protests were launched nationwide, especially in northern India after Hindu nationalist group Karni Sena alleged that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was planning to shoot a romantic dream sequence of Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji for his period drama Padmaavati (previous title). The outrage was so massive that the release was stalled for months and later Bhansali released a video quashing the claims.
'Backbenchers' (2019)
The show featured Farah Khan, Raveena Tandon, and Bharti Singh. Several FIRs alleged that the trio made fun of the word "hallelujah" thus hurting the sentiments of the Christian community. Khan's statement read, "I respect all religions, and it would never be my intention to disrespect any. On behalf of the entire team, Raveena Tandon, Bharti Singh, and myself... we do sincerely apologize."
Read Farah's apology here
'Tandav' (2021)
The Saif Ali Khan-led web series faced severe backlash over a scene where the Hindu nationalist groups alleged that it disrespected Lord Shiva. There was an FIR filed against the makers, too. The makers apologized and stated, "The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologize if it has unintentionally hurt anybody's sentiments."
OTT platforms are playing it safe now, report found
With the advent of OTT in India, there was a surge in content and a new style of storytelling. Politically charged-up series like Sacred Games and Paatal Lok were highly appreciated. Post Tandav fiasco, the OTT giants have been self-censoring, found a Washington Post report.
