After Netflix ban, how to watch Nayanthara's Annapoorani on OTT

Tamil star Nayanthara has found herself at the centre of a raging political controversy following the OTT release of her latest movie Annapoorani. The movie has been accused of hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community, sparking hashtag campaigns demanding a ban on the film. Succumbing to the political pressure, Netflix on Thursday removed it from its platform.

Annapoorani has been made unavailable on Netflix for people across the world. If you are curious to watch the film in light of this controversy, there is a way. Audiences living in international territories can watch the movie on Simply South. However, this streaming service is not available for the audiences in India.

ALSO READ: Netflix stops Nayanthara's Annapoorani from streaming amid protests

It's safe to assume that Simply South still provides the unedited version of Annapoorani, including the scenes and dialogues that have sparked outrage from a section of audiences in India.

Netflix removes Annapoorani

Until Wednesday, Annapoorani held the number 1 position on Netflix's internal ranking system. The movie seemed to be most preferred among the platform's subscribers in the country. On Thursday, however, the movie disappeared from Netflix's catalogue without any intimation.

Zee Studios, which is one of the producers of Annapoorani, has suggested that the streaming of Annapoorani will resume on Netflix only after editing out the parts that are deemed controversial. The producers have also issued an unconditional apology underscoring that they had "no intentions of hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus and Brahmins community."

ALSO READ: Zee Studios apologises over Nayanthara's Annapoorani, removes movie from streaming — 'No intentions to hurt Hindus and Brahmins'

When Netflix reinstates Annapoorani on its platform, the new version is likely to be heavily altered from the original version.

What's the Annapoorani controversy all about?

Annapoorani tells the tale of a girl born in a highly conservative Brahmin family. From childhood, she nurtures the ambition of becoming a world-famous chef. However, the religious beliefs of her family and community pose a physiological obstacle in pursuing her dream career.

Annapoorani is told by her family that she can't become a chef because it would require her to cook and taste meat. But, Annapoorani persists and overcomes this challenge by eating meat. And she also falls in love with her close friend, Farhaan (Jai), a Muslim man.

In a scene, Farhaan claims that Lord Rama himself was a meat eater citing a quote from Valmiki's Ramyanana. At the climax, Annapoorani is seen performing namaz before cooking biryani.

Certain ideas and themes explored in Annapoorani have irked a section of audiences.

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