“Annapoorani Was Not A…”: Nayanthara Breaks Silence On Controversy

Annapoorani controversy: One of the allegations is that the movie promoted ‘Love Jihad’.

Actor Nayanthara has issued an apology days after her film ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’ was accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Nayanthara apologised saying she and her team did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments. Her statement came a few days after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the film over the allegations that certain scenes in the movie have hurt the Hindu sentiments, disrespected Lord Ram and promoted ‘love jihad’ through the movie. It also came after the film was removed from the OTT platform Netflix. 

In her post on Thursday, Nayanthara said, “In our sincere attempt to share a positive message, we may have inadvertently caused hurt. We did not expect the removal of a censored film, previously showcased in theatres, from the OTT platform. My team and I never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments and we understand that the gravity of this issue. Being someone who wholely believes in God and frequently visits temples across the country, it is the last thing I would intentionally do. To those whose feelings we’ve touched, I extend my sincere and heartfelt apologies”. 

“The intention behind ‘Annapoorni’ was to uplift and inspire, not to cause distress Over the last two decades, my journey in the film industry has been guided with a singular intention – To spread positivity & foster learning from one another,” Nayanthara added.

The Tamil film ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’features Nayanthara in the lead role. The film follows a girl from an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family aspiring to become a chef in the face of trials and tribulations. 

The movie, which was released in theatres on December 1, began streaming on Netflix on December 29. But it was subsequently removed from the OTT platform following FIRs and claims of hurting Hindu sentiments.  

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Some of the controversial scenes include Nayanthara’s character offering namaz in a hijab before cooking biryani and a friend allegedly influencing her to cut meat by claiming that Lord Rama and Goddess Sita consumed meat. The movie was also accused of promoting “love jihad”.  

Meanwhile, Zee Entertainment, a co-producer of the film, extended a written apology to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). In it, the production house explained that it had never intended to hurt religious sentiments. It further assured the VHP, which is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), that the film would not be released again until it was edited.