Although the Supreme Court had, earlier on Tuesday, cleared the controversial Punjabi film ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ for an all-India release on April 13, asking the state governments to ensure a smooth release of the same, yet hours later, the Punjab government took an opposite stand and banned its release in the state.
According to reports, the state government has cited possible law & order problems for the ban.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court had also criticized the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) for putting restrictions on the release.
{module [410]}
The movie, based on the life and teachings of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji, had created a furore amongst various Sikh religious bodies, including the SGPC, who had sought a ban on the movie. The primary objection is to the depiction of Guru Nanak Dev in human form.
Jagran.com reports that the film producer Harinder Singh Sikka had approached the apex court against the Akal Takht’s edict announcing a ban on its release. Acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Bhai Dhyan Singh Mand had even gone to the extent of threatening to behead Sikka, in the event of the movie’s release.
Another report says that the CBFC had cleared the movie on March 28 but, Sikka claimed, he had received a communication on March 30 from SGPC asking him not to release the film.
Meanwhile, the film’s producer has released a statement saying that he won’t be releasing Nanak Shah Fakir in Punjab, in any case.
Nanak Shah Fakir was originally slated to be released in 2015.
What is the controversy around the film Nanak Shah Fakir?
Produced by Harinder Sikka, a columnist and writer, Nanak Shah Fakir is the first ever film about Guru Nanak Dev. Sikka says making a movie on the life of the first Sikh guru was his “dream”. But the Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) and the Akal Takht says that no person must portray the Sikh Guru and his family members and that as such portrayals hurt the sentiments of the community, the film must be banned.
The SGPC maintains that even the existing pictorial depictions of Guru Nanak Dev should never have been allowed. (Source: Indian Express)
{module [437]}