Nayanthara apologises for hurting sentiments with Annapoorni: ‘Didn’t expect removal of a censored film’

Nayanthara has written an apology note for hurting the sentiments of the audience with her film Annapoorni.

New Delhi | January 19, 2024 08:41 AM IST

3 min read

Nayanthara has iisued an apology for her film Annapoorani.

Days after actor Nayanthara’s film Annapoorni was taken down by streaming platform Netflix following complaints, the actor has issued an apology for hurting people’s sentiments. Nayanthara shared a note on social media in Hindi, English and Tamil, which was titled ‘Jai Shri Ram’. She wrote that the film was designed to have a positive impact on audiences, but acknowledged that it “may have inadvertently caused hurt.”

In her note, Nayanthara also noted that the film had already been cleared by the CBFC, and that the team did not “expect the removal of a censored film.” She wrote, “My team and I never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments and we understand that the gravity of this issue. Being someone who wholly 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 & heartfelt apologies.”

ALSO READ | Netflix ‘Annapoorani’ take-down: Why OTT platforms bent the knee to moral police

Annapoorni, directed by Nilesh Krishnaa, was centred on a woman born in a Brahmin family, caught in a dilemma about cooking meat and pursuing her culinary dreams. The film had a scene in which a Muslim character spoke about Lord Rama eating meat, and a Hindu character offering namaz before making biryani.

An FIR was lodged in Mumbai against the cast and the makers with protestors claiming that the film “offends Hindu religious sentiments.” Following the FIR, the film’s co-producer Zee Studios issued an apology letter that read, “We as co-producers of the film had no intention to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and Brahmin communities and would like to hereby apologize for the inconvenience and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities.” The FIR was filed on January 8 by Rakesh Solanki, founder of the Hindu IT Cell, against actors Nayanthara and her co-star Jai, writer-director Nilesh Krishnaa, producers Jatin Sethi, R Ravindran, and Punit Goenka, Zee Studios Chief Business Officer Shariq Patel, and the head of Netflix India, Monika Shergill.

Annapoorni started streaming on Netflix on December 29, and just a few weeks after that, the film was removed from the streaming platform.

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