Annapoorani is not the first Tamil film to ‘offend' Hindu or Brahmin sentiments. The history of Tamil cinema is littered with films that have anti-Brahmin and anti-Hindu overtones.
Syed Ali Mujtaba
CHENNAI – ‘Annapoorani’, a Tamil film starring Kollywood heartthrob Nayanthara has been removed from theaters and OTT platforms like Netflix, following an uproar by the Hindutva outfits who alleged that the film hurts the religious feelings of the Hindu community.
The film explores the titular character Annapoorani’s (essayed by Nayanthara) childhood dream of becoming the best chef in India. However, Annapoorani is a Hindu Brahmin girl who has to deal with non-vegetarian food in her pursuit to become India’s best chef. In the process, she is alleged to have shown some disrespect to the Hindu god, Ram, as reportedly claims that he has also consumed meat during his 14 years of exile.
Further, Annapoorani is shown as a rebel from the Hindu traditional values and is shown to have a friendship with a Muslim boy, a fellow chef, who encourages her realuse her dream of cooking meat but leaves the choice of eating it to her discretion.
Well, these thoughts are enough to light the communal flames of the Hindutva folks who were up in arms complaining that the movie was hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
Police have filed complaints against eight persons, including the actor and the film’s producer, over allegations that certain scenes in the film have outraged the religious sentiments of the Hindus.
The complaints allege that the film made deliberate and malicious remarks about Lord Ram and also promotes the forbidden act of ‘Love Jihad.’
Tamil director Vetrimaaran, known for creating politically relevant movies, has lent his support to the film. Vetrimaaran, in an interaction with the media, stated that there is no genuine uncensored creative freedom for films in India, including those released OTT platforms.
He argued that even after a film receives approval from the censor board, external pressures can lead to its removal from theaters and streaming services. He raised concerns about the credibility of the censor board’s decisions when external influences interfere with the release of a previously approved film.
‘Annapoorani’ was released on December 1, 2023, in theaters. After the religious uproar, the movie team apologised to the public and removed it from public viewing.
Annapoorani is not the first Tamil film to ‘offend’ Hindu or Brahmin sentiments. The history of Tamil cinema is littered with films that have anti-Brahmin and anti-Hindu overtones.
Now the Hindutva force’s strident campaign in India for Hindus, and Hindi–Hindu–Hindustan, has changed the outlook of the people and they now refuse to entertain any contrary viewpoint. In the process, the creativity of cinematic art is being sacrificed in the country.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
