Nayanthara apologises for 'Annapoorani' controversy

Actor Nayanthara has offered sincere and heartfelt apology over her latest Tamil film Annapoorani, a week after the makers were accused of hurting religious sentiments and the movie was pulled from streaming service Netflix.

In an Instagram post on Thursday night, the Jawan star said the film was made to "uplift and inspire, not to cause distress".

Annapoorani featured the 39-year-old actor star as a young woman who aims to become the best chef in the country but in order to realise her dream, she has to cook non-vegetarian food.

Directed by Nilesh Krishnaa, the movie was released in theatres in December last year, before it started streaming on Netflix four weeks later. 

Last week, the movie kicked up a row after two complaints were filed against Nayanthara and the makers over allegations that certain scenes in the film hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.

The complaints alleged that the film makes controversial remarks about Lord Ram and also promotes 'love jihad'. Amid the controversy, the film was removed from Netflix by the makers.

In her post, Nayanthara said the team wanted to share a positive message and never expected that the movie, which was showcased in theatres, would be removed from a streaming platform.

After the complaints, the police in Maharashtra's Thane district registered a case against eight persons, including Nayanthara, last week.

The station house officer at the Naya Nagar police station said a case was registered against eight persons, including the actor and the film's producer, under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (2) (offence committed in place of worship) read with 34 (common intention).