SGPC Alleges Emergency Trailer Misrepresents Sikh History and Portrays them as Terrorists and Separatists
Bollywood is no stranger to controversy, and the latest film to stir the pot is Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming movie “Emergency”. This time, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages historical Sikh temples, has sent a legal notice to the film’s producers, including Kangana herself.
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The SGPC is upset because they believe the movie misrepresents Sikh history and has scenes that hurt the feelings of the Sikh community. They’re particularly concerned about parts of the film that seem to show Sikhs in a negative light, suggesting they are terrorists and separatists.
“The portion mentioned above in the trailer is highly objectionable as it portrays the character of Sikhs in the wrong way as separatists, which is false, frivolous and truthless. Sant Jarnail Singh and no one from the Sikh community ever demanded Khalistan. It is deliberately intentional character assassination of Sikhs for creating an anti-Sikh narrative,” the legal notice said.
In their legal notice, the SGPC has demanded that the producers take down the movie’s trailer, released on August 14, from social media and other platforms. They’re also asking for a public apology to the Sikh community or they’ll take further legal action if these demands aren’t met.
“The bare perusal of the trailer…would reveal the fact that…people from Sikh Community have been shown to be firing indiscriminately at people of the Hindu community due to religious discrimination, by stopping a bus…”, the petition speaks.
Adding to the drama, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, asking for the movie’s certification to be revoked, meaning it wouldn’t be allowed to be shown to the public. The PIL argues that the film could harm the social harmony of Punjab.
“The film… is very dangerous for the unity of the citizens, also between the different religions in the country…film is highly objectionable being derogatory towards the Sikh Community and you are…fully liable and responsible for this heinous offence of trying and creating hate towards the Sikh community,” the notice added.
Kangana announced “Emergency” back in 2021 and made it clear that, while it’s a political drama, it’s not a biopic of Indira Gandhi, even though she plays the former Prime Minister. Besides Kangana, the movie features well-known actors like Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, and the late Satish Kaushik in key roles.
