Netflix removes Nayanthara's 'Annapoorani' with meat-eating scene after Hindu backlash

Mumbai: Netflix has removed an Indian language film from its platform after the movie faced a backlash on social media for depicting the daughter of a Hindu priest eating meat.

Annapoorani - The Goddess of Food, a Tamil-language film that was released in theatres in December and aired on Netflix later the same month, was no longer available on the international streaming platform as of Thursday.

Netflix representatives in India did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Wednesday, protesters from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shouted slogans against Netflix and the movie at the company's Mumbai office, according to a post on X by VHP spokesperson Shriraj Nair.

The film depicts the daughter of a Hindu temple priest in Tamil Nadu eating meat and later entering a high-stakes cooking contest, where she cooks meat.

"This film ... is intentionally released to hurt Hindu sentiments," Ramesh Solanki, who described himself as the head of an organisation called "Hindu IT Cell," said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Solanki said he had filed a complaint to Mumbai's police about the film, listing several scenes which he said were offensive to Hindus.

Netflix and rivals like Amazon and Disney have often been at the receiving end of criticism from hardline religious groups.

In 2021, Amazon offered a rare apology for some scenes in its series Tandav, which faced court cases and complaints that it offended Hindus.