Akal Takht sets up its own Sikh Censor Board to monitor films on community

INDIA-SIKHISM-FILM-PROTEST Sikh community hold placards during a protest against the screening of the film 'Nanak Shah Fakir' in Amritsar | AFP

Santa-Banta jokes or sardar jokes were hugely popular until a PIL in the Supreme Court was filed a few years ago, calling for their ban as the jokes were perceived as an insult to the Sikh community.

It is not just the stereotypical jokes that seem to have upset the Sikhs. They seem to be miffed with the way they are being portrayed in films, and any slippage on what they believe to be the factual history of the Sikh Gurus.

And now, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs, has set up its own board to censor films that have anything to do with Sikhs or Sikhism. Generally described as the Vatican of the community, the Akal Takht has said the decision follows a dire need to check distortion of facts pertaining to the Sikh Gurus and Sikh history in movies.

A few weeks ago, the Shiromani Akali Dal got into a confrontation with the Congress government in Punjab over the syllabus pertaining to Sikh history in the text books prescribed for the Punjab school education board examinations. A committee was set up to look into it.

And prior to that, the state government announced the setting up of a “Punjab Sabhyacharak Commission” to check vulgarity in Punjabi songs.

The current move by the Akal Takht follows the release of a film titled Nanak Shah Fakir, based on the life and lessons imparted by Guru Nanak. While the Supreme Court had cleared the release of the film by Harinder Singh Sikka, whom the Takht excommunicated in April last, there was a demand that it be banned. The demand was raised by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and many other religious bodies.

Now the Akal Takht has made it mandatory for all filmmakers entering the territory of films based on Sikhism and Sikh religious heritage, to submit scripts to the 21-member Sikh Censor Board for clearance. The Takht has made it clear such approvals will be required for documentaries as well as animated films.

Says Punjabi writer Nirupama Dutt: “Such religious censorship boards will play havoc with secularism in a republic like ours” , adding that Sikhism in particular is a progressive and practical religion, that has yet to evolve. She has not seen the film, but says it was very well received all over the state, simply because it took the message of Guru Nanak across effectively.

But equally, to have a commercial reach, Punjabi film producers tend to use stories around the life and times of the Gurus. The biggest grosser in the history of Punjabi films has been Nanak Naam Jahan Hai.

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