Netflix was forced to remove one of its films from its platform on Friday after Hindu right-wing groups complained about scenes in which the main character eats meat.
Annapoorani: Goddess of Food is the story of a young woman from the Brahmin caste who aspires to become the best chef in India. The streaming giant pulled the film after religious watchdogs criticized its problematic depiction of meat consumption by a traditionally vegetarian caste. The Guardian newspaper reported.
Hardliners also criticized the film's depiction of the Hindu god Lord Ramzat, claiming the film implied that Ramzat ate meat during his exile.
Critics of the film also say the film promotes conspiracy theories that Muslim men are involved in crimes. “Love Jihad” Marry a Hindu woman and convert.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad The Hindu Popular Right-wing Group (VHP) launched a campaign on Wednesday claiming that the film was “deliberately released to hurt Hindu sentiments,” according to the Guardian.
The group's online protest quickly gained attention on social media and culminated in an in-person rally at Netflix headquarters.
Some members of the group went further and filed multiple police reports against the film's screenwriter, director, and producer.
By Thursday g entertainmentthe company that produced the controversial film issued an apology stating that it would remove and re-edit the film to remove the offensive scenes.
“As co-producers of this film, we have no intention of hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu and Brahmin communities and would like to hereby apologize for the inconvenience and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities. ” the company said in a statement. statement.
Following the film's removal, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal issued a statement calling the film's removal “a victory for all Hindus.”
This is not the first time Hindu groups have protested against a film that clashes with their faith.
In 2021, Amazon faced massive backlash for its series Tanday, which was deemed too offensive by multiple groups.
Netflix also reportedly faced a boycott over its TV adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel A Sutable Boy after the group claimed the series also promoted “love jihad.” There is.
