Netflix removes Nayanthara's 'Annapoorani' amid legal soup for religious comments
What's the story
Lady Superstar Nayanthara's recent release Annapoorani has become the talk of the town after the movie premiered on the OTT giant Netflix. The film is currently in a bit of a legal soup after Hindu nationalist groups accused the movie of being "anti-Hindu." A case has been filed against the film for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Amid the row, the movie has now been taken down from the OTT platform.
Details
This is what Zee Studios replied to VHP's complaint
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Shriraj Nair shared a clip from the movie and wrote, "We are strictly warning you @NetflixIndia to immediately withdraw this evil movie of yours or else be ready to face legal consequences and @BajrangDalOrg style action. @ZeeStudios_ (sic)." Following this, Zee Studios wrote to VHP stating that the film would be removed from the platform until edited. Netflix users noticed it missing from the platform on Thursday.
Complaint
Previously, movie was accused of promoting love jihad, too
Ramesh Solanki, founder of the Hindu IT cell, filed a complaint against actors Nayanthara, Jai, writer-director Nilesh Krishna, producers Jatin Sethi, R Ravindran, and Punit Goenka, Zee Studios Chief Business Officer Shariq Patel, and Netflix India's head, Monika Shergill. Solanki claimed the film was promoting love jihad. However, Nayanthara's Annapoorani sees Jai's Farhan as a friend in the movie.
Background
Did the film spread misinformation about Lord Rama?
In one of the most debated scenes, Farhan persuades Annapoorani, a temple priest's daughter, to cook meat by explaining that Lord Rama also consumed meat. Netizens then heavily criticized the makers for allegedly spreading misinformation about the Ramayana. One user expressed, "SHAME ON U NETFLIX INDIA. You are spreading total misinformation about Hinduism and its culture, (sic)."
Twitter Post
Such tweets have been taking over social media
We are strictly warning you @NetflixIndia to immediately withdraw this evil movie of yours or else be ready to face legal consequences and @BajrangDalOrg style action.@ZeeStudios_ pic.twitter.com/AVX9h4jHQ6
— Shriraj Nair (@snshriraj) January 9, 2024