The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religion, has sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government to ban the screening of film “Nanak Shah Fakir”. In a communication to Modi and union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar argued the film violated Sikh tenets. The film depicts Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and his family. It is scheduled to be released on April 17. Makkar urged them to direct the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) not to allow release of the controversial film. He refuted claims by the film’s producer Harinder Singh Sikka that the SGPC and Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion, had cleared the movie, noting portrayal of the Guru and his family by human beings was not allowed by Sikh tenets. Makkar demanded that all films related to Sikh religion should be shown to the SGPC and cleared by its members.
