Akal Takht announces ban on film ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’

With a section of the Sikhs opposing the film 'Nanak Shah Fakir' for its portrayal of the Sikh Gurus as living human beings, the Akal Takht on Monday announced a ban on its release scheduled for April 13. The Akal Takht is the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion.

"We have imposed a ban on the controversial movie 'Nanak Shah Fakir'. The film cannot be released (on April 13)," Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh told the media in Amritsar. Giani Gurbachan Singh said the religious sentiments of the community had been hurt over the portrayal of the Sikh masters.

The movie was earlier to be released in 2015, but it was shelved following the controversy.

With a number of Bollywood and Punjabi movies running into trouble with Sikh organisations over the portrayal of community members and the Sikh Gurus, the Akal Takht also decided to constitute a Sikh Censor Board on the matter.

In future, the Jathedar said, filmmakers will be required to seek the approval of the said board before starting a movie project in which Sikh religion or Sikhs were to be portrayed or highlighted in any manner.