Punjab govt suspends Guru Nanak film 'Nanak Shah Fakir' for 2 months

Alleging that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has not yet cautioned the producer of ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ for alleged human-form depiction of Guru Nanak in the film, radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa today wrote to President saying the movie has potential to enrage the community. The outfit wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee alleging that the movie, slated to hit the screens this Friday, depicts Guru Nanak in human form and the role of Guru’s sister - Bebe Nanaki - is also played by an actor. [caption id=“attachment_2198486” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Courtesy: Nanah Shah Fakir[/caption] This way, the movie produced by Sikh-Harinder Singh Sikka shows utter disregard for Sikh tenets and severely hurts the their belief system. Referring to earlier protest against some controversial films, Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said that like then the Sikhs had no choice but to respond. He also expressed anguish that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has not yet even bothered to utter a word of caution to the producer. Meanwhile, about a hundred students of Guru Nanak Dev University led by Paramjit Singh Mand and Amrinder Singh on Monday staged a protest against the film demanding complete ban on it. The movie, based on the life and teachings of Guru Nanak, was scheduled to be released on April 17. After a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) demanded a ban on the film, the Punjab government on Wednesday banned the screening of the film for two months, citing “widespread resentment against the film among Sikh masses”. PTI