'Jawan' star apologises for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus with latest culinary film

Nayanthara sorry amid the ongoing controversy regarding her latest Netflix offering, Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food

South Indian star, Nayanthara, has issued an apology amid the ongoing controversy regarding her latest Netflix offering, Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food. The Jawan actor's film was taken down just weeks after its premiere in the latest instance of digital entertainment platforms in India canning controversial projects. 

Annapoorani, which was the second-most watched Netflix feature in India the day before its removal, centres on the daughter of a Hindu priest who aspires to become the country’s top chef.

Now, the actor is addressing the backlash in a recent Instagram post. 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 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.”

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.

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