The sub-committee has also recommended imposing a ban on depicting characters based on the Sikh gurus and their immediate family members in any animation movie in future. The sub-committee has also recommended imposing a ban on depicting characters based on the Sikh gurus and their immediate family members in any animation movie in future.

A sub-committee appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to review the animation movie ‘Dastan-E-Miri Piri’ has asked the film makers to remove a character personifying the sixth Sikh master, Guru Hargobind Sahib, and the dialogues that it delivers.

“A picture was used to depict the character of Guru Hargobind Singh Sahib and there were few dialogues on the behalf of the character depicting Guru. We have told producers to remove the picture and the dialogue and instead use light to depict presence of Guru in the movie, said Inderjeet Singh Gogoani, a member of the sub committee.

The movie directed by the Vinod Lanjewar was due for release on June 5. However, following protests by Sikh bodies and no green signal from Akal Takht, the film makers stayed the release.

The movie will still have the character of Baba Budha and Baba Bhidhi Chand Chhina, two prominent personalities of Sikh history, said Gogoani, who has watched the movie. “We have told producers to make the amendments and submit a report to the Akal Takht. Now, Akal Takht Jathedar will take the final call,” he added.

The sub-committee has also recommended imposing a ban on depicting characters based on the Sikh gurus and their immediate family members in any animation movie in future.

“We have made a recommendation that no animation movie in future should be allowed to have any character depicting Sikh gurus and their immediate family members. There already exists a SGPC resolution not allowing any human to play the role of Sikh gurus. The same resolution should also be implemented on the animation movies,” Gogoani said. This is not the first time that there has been a controversy over a movie related to the lives of the Sikh gurus. Last year, film producer Harinder Singh Sikka was excommunicated by Akal Takht as he refused to stop the release of movie ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’, based on the life of Guru Nanak Dev.

Sikka had claimed to have used light to depict Guru Nanak.

Meanwhile, it has been alleged that Gogoani has written the dialogues for ‘Dastan-E-Miri Piri’. He was also member of the sub-committee formed to review the movie, making it a perfect case of conflict of interest.

Gogoani, however, refuted the allegations. “I didn’t write any dialogue for the movie and have no association with movie,” he asserted.

Sources said that the SGPC and the Akal Takht have taken a soft stance on the movie and will soon allow its release because an SGPC member has invested money in the animation film. Sources also said that SGPC was set to give clearance to the movie in the original form, but changed its mind after pressure mounted on it from Sikhs across the globe urging it stop the release of the movie.

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