Sikh body wants checks on portrayal of community

Sikh body wants checks on portrayal of community
Tuesday, March 22, 2005 16:35 IST
By Santa Banta News Network
A leading Sikh body has demanded checks on the portrayal of the community in films and TV serials, but veteran comedian Jaspal Bhatti says there are no deliberate attempts to project Sikhs in a wrong light.

Jokes on Sikhs doing the rounds on mobile phones, the portrayal of Sikhs in films and actors playing Sikhs without bothering about the sentiments of the community have irked leaders of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).

In a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, SGPC president Jagir Kaur pointed out that Sikhs were being projected as objects of fun and ridicule.

Noted Sikh comedian Bhatti, who has acted in several Bollywood films and popular TV serials, Sunday said his experience with the film industry did not reflect any deliberate attempt by people to project Sikhs in a wrong manner.

"If a comedy scene or role was to be enacted, it would depend on the script of the film and what that character was all about," told Bhatti.

"I have not come across a deliberate attempt to ridicule the community. That way even Hindu priests, policemen and other people are projected in comic roles."

Jokes about the Sikh community, which has played a key role in India's armed forces and in business circles, are commonly exchanged on mobile phones and email chains.

SGPC president Kaur said Sikhs were a community of warriors who had defended the country's borders against attacks with great valour and their portrayal in films and TV serials was in bad taste.

But Bhatti said films like "Border" and "Gadar" projected Sikhs strongly and everything depended on the script of a particular film.

Kaur, however, urged the government to intervene immediately so that the wrong portrayal of Sikhs was stopped.

The SGPC has demanded that Sikh representatives should be included on the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFS), the agency that clears all films for certification.

"Only if Sikh community members were there, the wrong projection of the community would stop," Kaur said in her letter.

Kaur said Sikhs should be made part of the CBFS and the Prasar Bharti Board that controls state-run Doordarshan television and Akashvani radio channels so that the Sikh community did not have to suffer wrong projections.
Singham Again Continues to Roar at the Box Office on Day 5!

The latest addition to the "Singham" franchise, Singham Again, continues to dominate the Indian box office, drawing enthusiastic crowds to theaters nationwide. With a remarkable

Thursday, November 07, 2024
Bhumi Pednekar's Serene Goa Getaway: Glimpses from Her 'Last Few Nights'!

Actress Bhumi Pednekar recently delighted her fans by sharing glimpses from her magical getaway in Goa, where she spent her "last few nights" savoring the beauty of the tropical

Thursday, November 07, 2024
Parineeti Chopra Launches Her YouTube Channel to Give Fans a Closer Look into Her Life!

Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra, known for her roles in films like Amar Singh Chamkila, has officially launched her own YouTube channel, offering fans an exciting new way to

Thursday, November 07, 2024
Get ready to experience the story of unabashed love and revenge in 'Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar'!

An epic saga of unrequited love and longing, intertwined with betrayal and revenge, is ready to redefine the romance genre in Disney Plus Hotstar's Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar. This

Thursday, November 07, 2024
Poojan Chhabra gets candid about bringing the character of Vimal to life in Amazon MX Player's Fisaddi!

Amazon MX Player, Amazon's free video streaming service, recently released Fisaddi, a bromantic dramedy that dives into the complex lives of two brothers, Goldie and Vimal. The close

Thursday, November 07, 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT