They shouldn’t do it you know! They shouldn’t jeopardize lazy Sundays of ordinary people like me. One moment I was happily flipping channels and another, I tuned on to India TV.
One of the widely accepted masala news channel was featuring an interview of representative of Shiromani Akali Dal. This religious outfit is the newest entrant in the Great Indian Moral Police League. They are reportedly against forthcoming Akki flick – Singh is Kinng.
Mr S A D (no I don’t expressly term him as sad, I’m just saving many a mouse clicks to write the complete Shiromani Akali Dal) said onscreen he’s not against the depiction of Akki as a Sardar. S A D has a problem with Akki dancing and monkeying around a little too much in the promos – that’s not how the Sikhs behave! He also says that the Sikhs have been mocked at in the film.
My brain had to observe a minute’s silence after watching it; but guess it ain’t required here. A minute hence I realized I was abjectly against the S A D representative. As far as I remember, my Sikh friends used to tell me they look out for the slightest pretext to break into a jig. Singing and dancing has always been an integral part of all Indian communities, including Sikhs. The splendid Bhangda and Gidda dance forms are unknown to none; neither are their wonderful music and folk songs. Speaking technically, the movie has not released yet and there’s no way you would know what all things are represented in the film.
The program also hinted that a committee has been formed to preview the film and ascertain whether there’s anything objectionable about it. But the S A D rep said his outfit doesn’t recognize any committee except for Shiromani committee and that they gotta see it first and pass it. Also, if it’s released without their consent, they things will get out of hands and they will take to streets on this issue.
I don’t say the water has gone above the head – because I think it has happened a long back. I can’t even count on my fingers how many such instances have already happened where one or the other group springs up with such petty issues and disrupts daily lives. It ranges from a ban on M F Hussain from returning to India to protesting n number of films to burning posters and computers in public. I don’t have the answer to the question about Freedom of Speech and whether or not these actions fall in it (or out of). But a mob wielding swords out on the street against a fun film is sure no definition of freedom of speech or thought.
A lot of people, it seems, are mistaking going far with going ahead.
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