“Annapoorani,” Nayanthara’s 75th film, has caused controversy. The movie allegedly encourages Love Jihad, according to a complaint lodged at Mumbai’s LT Marg Police Station. The grievance also highlights a sequence in which actor Jai offends religious sensibilities by claiming that Lord Ram was a meat eater. ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’ drew criticism following its Netflix digital premiere. The Hindu IT Cell complained to the Mumbai police, saying the film insults Lord Ram and misrepresents Valmiki’s Ramayana.
About Annapoorani
With “Annapoorani,” Nayanthara achieved a great accomplishment as it was her 75th picture. The film, which was directed by Nilesh Krishnaa and starring Nayanthara, Jai, and Sathyaraj in the key roles, opened in theatres on December 1, 2023. The film opened to a lackluster reception and took about Rs 5 crore at the box office. The Republic has reported that a complaint has been lodged at the Mumbai police station, LT Marg, adding that the film advocates for Love Jihad.
Complaint against the film for promoting Love Jihad
As the title implies, “Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food” sparked controversy when it debuted digitally on Netflix, an OTT platform. The Hindu IT Cell of the Mumbai police lodged a complaint against the film, claiming that it distorted Valmiki’s Ramayana and disparaged Lord Ram. The film created controversy because one of the scenes shows the girl performing the Islamic prayer Namaz while covering her head with a scarf before a cooking competition. The girl’s dream is to become a chef, but as the daughter of a Hindu temple pujari, she faces many obstacles and struggles when it comes to cooking non-vegetarian food. Prior to competing in the movie, Nayanthara recalled that one of her college classmates had commented on how great her Briyani tasted since she had done Namaz before cooking. This is why Nayanthara decided to try it out before the culinary competition. This scenario has stirred up controversy because it offends many people’s religious feelings.
The reaction of the audience on the internet
The audience has mixed opinions and reasons for boycotting the film. One of the users commented,” It’s not just love jihad but promotion to non-veg as well due to which i left movie after 40 min or so”. Another said,”Unless strict punishment is not given to such celebrities for insulting Hindu religion, the others will always take liberty to insult Hindu religion and culture. What she did should be considered a blasphemy and she should be punished very severly to bring about a lesson for all..” Another said,” It’s really a shame to portrait Lord Ram as a meat eater and the scene where she has to for namaz before starting cooking is sn insult to hindu religion. It’s also shameful to show that a mandir cook’s daughter has to take such a non-vegetarian route to fulfill her dreams. It’s a mockery of vegetarianism. The story plot itself is a disgrace. Indian films often make a mockery of the Hindu faith and of vegetarian people.”
By: Gursharan Kaur