'Jai Shri Ram': Nayanthara Apologises Over 'Annapoorani' Controversy

South Indian actress Nayanthara has given an apology over the recent controversy around her movie 'Annapoorani'. She has clarified that the team never had intentions to hurt anyone.

The actress, in an Instagram post featuring the 'Jai Shri Ram' chant and the Hindu religious symbol 'Om' on the masthead, said, "In our sincere attempt to share a positive message, we may have inadvertently caused hurt. We did not expect the removal of a censored film, previously showcased in theatres, from the OTT platform. My team and I never intended to hurt anyone's sentiments and we understand the gravity of this issue.

Being someone who wholely believes in God and frequently visits temples across the country, it is the last thing I would intentionally do. To those whose feelings we've touched, I extend my sincere and heartfelt apologies."

"The intention behind 'Annapoorni was to uplift and inspire, not to cause distress Over the last two decades, my journey in the film industry has been guided with a singular intention - To spread positivity & foster learning from one another," Nayanthara concludes.

'Annapoorani' came under attack for its anti-Hindu content, as a section of Hindus accused the film of promoting conversion to Islam, distorting the portrayal of Hindu deity Ram.

On January 6, former Shiv Sena leader Ramesh Solanki lodged a police complaint against the makers of the film 'Annapoorani.' As the founder of the Hindu IT Cell, Solanki wrote to the Chief Inspector of the Lokmanya Tilak police station, urging action against the film's alleged anti-Hindu elements.

The Hindu activist pointed out several objectionable scenes in the movie, such as the portrayal of the daughter of a Hindu Brahmin temple priest participating in Namaz (Islamic prayer), the glorification of love jihad, and the depiction of Lord Ram and Maa Sita consuming meat in the Ramayana, which he deemed as falsehoods.

Sharing the complaint copy on Twitter, he said, "At a time when the whole world is rejoicing in anticipation of the Pran Pratishtha of Bhagwan Shri Ram Mandir, this anti-Hindu film Annapoorani has been released on Netflix, produced by Zee Studios, Naad Studios and Trident Arts."

Talking about the objectionable scenes, he said, "A daughter of Hindu Poojari, offers Namaz to cook Biryani. Love Jihad is promoted in this Film. Farhan (Actor) persuades the actress to eat meat saying that Bhagwan Shri Ram was also a meat eater."

Following the outrage on social media sites, the movie was removed from Netflix.