Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader T Raja Singh lashed out at the makers of Nayanthara's controversial film Annapoorani and said that its production company, Zee Studios, should be banned.
On Thursday, streaming platform Netflix took down the Tamil film, following increased protests against the recently released movie for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Hindu community and defaming Lord Ram.
ANI shared a video of the BJP leader on Friday (January 12) in which he says, "I have heard that Zee Studios has apologized but an apology will do nothing. We have seen many times that such films are being made to hurt the sentiments of Hindus."
He added, "I appeal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ban Zee Studios and take action against such directors, actors who make such films."
Take a look at the video here:
For those unversed, the film released in theatres on December 1 and later on Netflix.
What is the controversy?
Several people called the film 'anti-Hindu' and accused the makers of demeaning Lord Ram in the film by showing a character asking lead actress Nayanthara to eat meat as "Bhagwan Shri Ram was also a meat-eater".
The makers have also been accused of promoting love jihad. Several political leaders have also lashed out at the makers by pointing out a scene which shows a temple priest's daughter, played by Nayanthara, offering namaz wearing 'hijab' before making biryani.
Activists of two right wing outfits have also filed separate complaints in Mumbai against Nayanthara and others associated with Annapoorani.
According to PTI, an official said, "A complaint was submitted by the activists of Bajrang Dal to the Oshiwara police station in western suburbs two days ago, and an inquiry in this connection is underway."
Makers react to the controversy
Post the massive uproar, Zee Studios, which is one of the producers of Annapoorani, issued a statement, promising that the scene will be edited and the film will be taken off Netflix until the time the necessary changes were not made.
"We have no intentions as co-producers of the film to hurt religious sentiments of the Hindus and Brahmin community and would like to hereby apologise for the inconvenience caused and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities," the statement read.
Netflix has now taken down the film from their platform.
About Annapoorani
Directed by Nilesh Krishnaa, Annapoorani stars Nayanthara in the titular role. It also features Karthik Kumar, Jai, Sathyaraj and Poornima Ravi in pivotal roles.
The film revolves around Annapoorani, who comes from a traditional Brahmin household in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. Despite belonging to a conservative setting, she aspires to reach the pinnacle of the culinary world in India. However, her journey is fraught with challenges as she grapples with the conflict between her passion for cooking and adherence to orthodox beliefs.
Nayanthara has not reacted to the controversy yet.
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