Dear NayantharaU,
Jai Shree Ram
Let me be honest with you. I’ve been a huge fan of yours until the movie #Annapoorani. I would admit that I never knew about this movie until my wife, who is a movie buff, sat down and started watching it on OTT. My wife is someone who is not very politically aware. But even she sensed something wrong a few minutes into the movie.
Our culture predates the concept of religion as it is known today. And therefore, we have been welcoming and accepting of foreign faiths that entered Bharat. Perhaps our ancestors didn’t know what they were welcoming. They perhaps didn’t know that they were welcoming narrow belief systems that would eventually try to finish off the very culture that welcomed them.
These kinds of movies have been released in the past, too. And we have been quiet on every such occasion. But we’ve had enough! We are a culture that has traditionally practiced “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah,” which, when loosely translated, means that “dharma will protect you if you protect your dharma.” And we will not tolerate it if there are deliberate attempts to demean and belittle our culture while glorifying a foreign faith. Yes, I am talking about your movie, “Annapoorani.”
You say, “In our sincere attempt to share a positive message, we may have inadvertently caused hurt.” I am sorry, but I find it hard to believe that all that glorification of another faith shown in the movie, at the expense of our native faith, was done inadvertently. Why did you have to show the tolerant majority of this nation in a poor light? Will you make a similar film by just switching the faiths? Picture a scene where the mother-in-law says that the food becomes tastier after she chants “Vishnusahasranamam” and eats that food as “Prasadam”. I bet you would never venture to act in such a movie, would you?
Some of us may never know the forces behind the movie. Whoever they are, we all know their intentions. Anyway, thank you for your apology! That helps a bit, although I am not fully convinced! Actions speak louder than words. And I believe you will follow up on your words with action to redeem yourself.
Jai Shri Ram
Sincerely,
Bharatiyan108
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread posted by @Bharatiyan108 on January 19, 2024, with minor edits to improve readability and conform to HinduPost style guide)
