Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food
Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food is a 2023 Tamil drama about a woman who dreams of becoming a chef. Set in Tiruchirappalli, Annapoorani comes from a Hindu Brahmin family that serves at the Srirangam temple and eats only vegetarian food. Her father forbids handling meat, but she stays determined to pursue cooking.
On her wedding day, she runs away with her friend Farhaan to Chennai. There, she learns cooking from Farhaan’s mother and lands a job at the same hotel where her idol works. Her talent helps her impress a visiting French president and she rises to Chef de cuisine. However, her rival Ashwin sabotages her, causing an oven accident that robs her of her sense of taste. Undeterred, she trains hard and becomes one of India’s top chefs, proving her skill despite losing her sense of taste.
The film was announced in 2022 as Nayanthara 75 and marks the directorial debut of Nilesh Krishnaa. It’s produced by Zee Studios, Naad Sstudios, and Trident Arts, with music by Thaman S. It was shot in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli and released in theaters on December 1, 2023. It received mixed reviews and did not perform well at the box office, opening around ₹60 lakh and totaling about ₹5.70 crore.
After its Netflix release, the film sparked controversy with accusations of promoting love jihad and hurting Hindu sentiments, leading to its removal from Netflix. Some celebrities defended the film, while Nayanthara apologized in January for any hurt caused.
Today, Annapoorani is available on Simply South. A Hindi-dubbed version began streaming on JioHotstar on October 1, 2025.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:47 (CET).