Why Kollywood is maintaining silence on removal of Annapoorani from Netflix

Kollywood, the Tamil film industry, has chosen to remain conspicuously silent over the removal of the Nayanthara-starrer film ‘Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food’ from Netflix. This marks the first instance in which a Tamil film has been withdrawn from an OTT platform due to opposition from right-wing groups, specifically alleging the movie hurt religious sentiments.

‘Annapoorani,’ which narrates the story of a Brahmin woman's journey to become a top chef while navigating internal conflicts about cooking and eating meat, faced trouble soon after its Netflix release on December 29.

What raises eyebrows is the perplexing silence from the Tamil film fraternity, known for its outspokenness on political issues. Notable celebrities like Suriya, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, and Vijay have previously voiced their opinions on national and state-level matters. However, in the case of ‘Annapoorani,’ only directors Pa Ranjith and Vetrimaaran have openly criticized Netflix's decision.

Insiders suggest that the timing and sensitive subject matter might be influencing Kollywood's muted response. The controversial dialogue about Ram eating meat, which initially did not spark controversy in Tamil, gained attention when the film was dubbed and released on Netflix. Given the ongoing discussions around the Ayodhya temple inauguration, actors and filmmakers may be wary of making comments against Ram or Ramayana during this sensitive period.

Moreover, industry experts point out that Ram holds greater reverence in North India than in the southern states. In the current political climate, actors and filmmakers might be hesitant to offend sentiments surrounding Ram, especially when the trend of 'pan-Indian' cinema is gaining prominence.

A prominent producer in the Tamil film industry highlighted the financial risks associated with taking a stand, both for the filmmakers and the actors, as Netflix's decision to remove the film was likely driven by the fear of a subscriber boycott.

The controversy began with an FIR filed by the former Shiv Sena member Ramesh Solanki, founder of the Hindu IT Wing, against the film, accusing it of offending Hindu sentiments. Allegations ranged from promoting 'love jihad' to depicting Hindu deity Ram consuming meat.

This outcry prompted the Mumbai police to file a First Information Report (FIR), leading to the film's removal from Netflix just three days later. Despite obtaining certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and a smooth theatrical release, the producers, Zee Studios, issued an apology, clarifying their lack of intention to hurt any religious sentiments. Lead actor Nayanthara also apologized, emphasizing the team's innocent intent.