What a little pushback can do to curb ban parties
Netflix's and Zee Studios' decision to pull down the Tamil film, Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food, is a good case study in this context.
Earlier this month, news came in that members of rightwing organisations had filed police complaints against Annapoorani's director Nilesh Krishnaa, the lead actor Nayanthara and others for allegedly hurting the majority community's sentiments.
The list of grievances was predictable in the present political climate, considering that the film is about an upper-caste woman, daughter of a temple cook in Tamil Nadu, rising above her social and religious conditioning regarding meat consumption to become a chef. Among other objections, offence was taken at comments in the film about Ram's eating habits and the heroine's relationship with a Muslim man.
Annapoorani was in theatres in December 2023.
Its arrival on an OTT is what led to an outcry. What changed in the intervening weeks? The answer is not flattering to Netflix.
It also speaks volumes about who in India is willing to push back against fundamentalist diktats and who capitulates unhesitatingly.
At the time of its theatrical release, Annapoorani was not widely marketed across the country. Which is why critiques emanated almost entirely from south Indian reviewers and viewers who, as it happens, are accustomed to filmmakers continuing to question conservative values despite the rightwing backlash they face.
The southern ecosystem, therefore, dissected Annapoorani's politics and cinematic worth, and that was that.
When the film dropped on Netflix, however, it attracted sections of the right who have grown used to the Hindi film industry largely genuflecting before the establishment in the past decade. Fuelled by their track record
