After a social media outrage, Mumbai Police on Monday filed an FIR against Netflix India, the makers of Annapoorni, and South actress Nayanthara for hurting religious sentiments. Annapoorni- The Goddess of Food was released on Netflix on December 29, 2023, and the film in no time became the most-watched movie of the week on the OTT streaming giant. After more and more people watched Annapoorni, it sparked a massive outrage against the Hindu community. Annapoorni is the story of a Brahmin girl who aspires to be a world-class chef and in her journey to fulfill her dreams, she cooks non-vegetarian foods. While cooking non-vegetarians is not an offense, Annapoorni in one of its scenes mentioned that Lord Ram and Laxman used to hunt animals and eat their meat in the jungle during their time in 'Vanvaas'. Not only this, but Annapoorni-The Goddess of Food was also accused of promoting 'Love Jihad'.
The complaint was filed against Nayanthara, Jai, Nilesh and producers Jatin Sethi, R Ravindran, and Punit Goenka, Zee Studios Chief Business Officer Shariq Patel and the head of Netflix India, Monika Shergill. Ramesh N. Solanki founder of Hindu IT Cell & Hindu Activist,in his complaint wrote that "an anti-Hindu film named 'Annapoorani', which translates to Goddess of Food. The Films is available on Netflix and produced by Zee Studios, Trident Arts & Naad Studios. At a time when the whole world is rejoicing that the Shri Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha will happen on 22nd Jan, this film demeans our Prabhu Shri Ram and is intentionally released to hurt Hindu sentiments. The details of few scenes are listed below-
- Daughter of a Temple Priest offers Namaz wearing a Hijab, before making Biryani in the last scene of the film.
- The film promotes Love Jihad. The actress's friend Farhaan, brainwashed the actress to cut meat because he says Bhagwan Shri Ram and Maa Sita also ate meat.
- Actress doesn't go to the Temple but goes to Farhan's place for Iftaari.
- Visuals of the girl's father doing Sandhya and grandmother doing Mala are intercut with their daughter eating & consuming meat.
- The actress's father is a temple priest, making Bhog for Bhagwan Vishnu since 7 generations but his daughter is shown to cook meat, fall in love with Muslim, goes for Ramzan Iftaar & offers Namaz. A devout Hindu's daughter, offering Namaz to cook Biryani, and is supported by Farhaan while quoting that Shri Ram was a meat eater, is done with the sole intent to demean Hindus and Bhagwan Shri Ram.
For those who still haven't watched Annapoorani, the movie revolves around a young girl of the same name who wants to pursue a degree in hotel management and climb the ladder to become a corporate chef like her idol, Chef Anand Sundarajan.
Annapoorani family's lineage has been dedicated to serving at the Srirangam temple, where her father cooks the food offered to devotees as 'prasadam'. The family being Brahmin eats only vegetarian food. Annapoorani's father refuses to let her be in a room where meat is served and cooked, let alone let her pursue a degree where she is forced to handle meat.