- The film received backlash for hurting Hindu religious sentiments
Netflix removed an Indian film dubbed “ Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food” due to backlash from Hindu groups.
The film that began streaming on 29th/December/2023, centres on the daughter of a Hindu priest who aspires to become the country’s top chef.
In the process she abandons the strict vegetarianism of her upbringing — controversial because many upper-caste Hindus abstain from eating meat.
A Muslim classmate helps her navigate the challenges of her cut-throat culinary school and the pair eventually fall in love, transcending India’s most fraught religious divide.
The groups criticized the film saying that it hurts Hindu sentiments. One affronted activist Ramesh Solanki went as far as filing a police complaint alleging that the film promoted “love jihad” — a derogatory term coined by Hindu nationalists who accuse Muslim men of marrying Hindu women and forcing them to convert.
Through the post shared on X (formerly Twitter) Solanki also said that Netflix and co-producer Zee Studios deliberately made this film to hurt Hindu sentiments and asked police to prosecute the movie’s main stars.
The film was the second-most watched Netflix feature in India the day before its removal, Netflix said that the Tamil-language film - Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food - was removed at its "licensor's request".
Meanwhile the groups also accused several other films and shows in recent years of insulting religious sentiments.