Hours after the Supreme Court cleared the decks for an all-India release of the controversial movie ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’ on Tuesday, the producer of the film says he will not release the film in Punjab. The state government had earlier cited possible law & order problems for the ban.
The Supreme Court had, earlier in the day, cleared the film for an all-India release on April 13 and asked the state governments to ensure a smooth release. The court had also criticized the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) for putting restrictions on the release.
The movie, based on the life and teachings of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev, had created a furore amongst various Sikh religious bodies, including the SGPC, who had sought a ban on the movie. The primary objection is to the depiction of Guru Nanak Dev in human form.
Film producer Harinder Singh Sikka had approached the apex court against the Akal Takht’s edict announcing a ban on its release. Acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Bhai Dhyan Singh Mand had even gone to the extent of threatening to behead Sikka, in the event of the movie’s release, reported Jagran.com.
According to a report in the Financial Express, the CBFC had cleared the movie on March 28 but, Sikka claimed, he had received a communication on March 30 from SGPC asking him not to release the film.
The movie was to be released in 2015, but has been stalled since then owing to the controversy surrounding it.