Edited by Deepali Verma
Netflix has put down an Indian language film from its platform owing to the increased backlash on social media for depicting the daughter of a Hindu priest eating meat. Hindus are Bharat’s largest religious grouping and Hindu priests along with their families, are largely vegetarian.
‘Annapoorani – The Goddess of Food’, a Tamil film that was released in theatres in December also hit Netflix later the same month. However, it is no longer available on the international streaming platform as of January 11.
Netflix representatives stationed in Bharat held back on the immediate response to a request for comment.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protesters, a Hindu organisation with ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, shouted slogans against Netflix and the movie at the company’s Mumbai office on January 10, as per a post on X by VHP spokesperson Shriraj Nair.
The plot of the movie depicts the daughter of a Hindu temple priest in Tamil Nadu eating meat and later entering a high-stakes cooking contest, where she indulges in cooking meat.
“This film … has been released to intentionally hurt the Hindu sentiments,” Ramesh Solanki, the head of an organisation called “Hindu IT Cell,” wrote on X.
Solanki informed that he has lodged a complaint to Mumbai’s police regarding the film where he listed several scenes which he thought were offensive to Hindus.
Netflix and rivals like Amazon and Disney have found themselves at the receiving end of criticism from right-wing groups in Bharat, one of the world’s biggest streaming markets. Netflix and Amazon have gained immense popularity in Bharat, which is expected to register a $7 billion market for the sector by 2027, as per the Media Partners Asia.
