Nayanthara’s latest film, Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food, has been creating quite a stir in recent times. Following allegations of love jihad, and an FIR being filed for hurting religious sentiments, the film, which made its OTT premiere on December 29th, was removed from the platform as well.
The sudden removal had netizens divided, and many of them took to social media to express their thoughts. In the latest update, during a recent press meet, Vetrimaaran spoke up in favor of the film. He raised concerns over how a film, certified by the CBFC, is not allowed to release due to external influences.
Vetrimaaran says only CBFC has right to permit or restrict a film
Talking at the press meet, Vetrimaaran said: ‘There is no such thing as uncensored creative freedom in India, even for the ones released in OTT.’ He also added that even if a film has been approved by the Censor Board (CBFC in India), it can be removed from streaming platforms due to external pressure.
The ace filmmaker further emphasized on the importance of having the Censor Board as the sole authority to permit or restrict films, and added that it is concerning how a film, approved by the Censor Board, was forced to be removed due to external influences. Vetrimaaran also mentioned that such incidents bring the credibility of the Censor Board in question.
More about Annapoorani fiasco
Annapoorani recently came under the limelight following an FIR being filed against the film in the LT Marg police station in Mumbai, alleging that the film promotes love jihad. Additionally, several complaints have been filed stating that the film has been purposefully made to hurt religious sentiments.
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The allegations stemmed from a scene in the film, where Jai, who plays the male lead in the film, misquotes the Valmiki Ramayana to mention that Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Sita Devi consumed meat while on exile. Furthermore, there was another scene where Nayanthara’s character donned a black cloth over her head and performed the Namaz prior to cooking biryani.
Owing to the allegations, the film was immediately pulled from the streaming platform by the makers. They also issued an apology note, and mentioned that they had no intention of hurting religious sentiments.
More about Annapoorani
Annapoorani follows the story of the eponymous character who belonged to an orthodox Tamil-brahmin family. However, she wished to be a professional chef, which goes against the beliefs of her family. How she overcomes the hurdles to follow her dreams forms the crux of the story.
The film featured Sathyaraj, Karthik Kumar, Redin Kingsley and more in prominent roles, apart from Nayanthara and Jai. Annapoorani was helmed by debutant Nilesh Krishnaa, and was bankrolled by Zee Studios, in collaboration with Trident Arts and Naad Sstudios. Sathyan Sooryan cranked the film’s camera, while Praveen Anthony took care of its editing.
ALSO READ: Netflix removes Nayanthara’s Annapoorani from OTT platform days after release; issue a statement
