Producer withdraws 'Nanak Shah Fakir' from theatres
Amritsar, April 21
Controversial Punjabi film 'Nanak Shah Fakir' withdrawn from theaters worldwide by its producer on Tuesday following protests over its content.
"As per the directions of holy Akal Takht (the highest temporal seat of Sikhs), I have decided to withdraw the movie Nanak Shah Fakir from theaters worldwide," producer Harvinder Singh Sikka said in a statement.
He said he had great regard for the Akal Takht and "couldn't afford to go against the directives of the top religious head Gurbachan Singh".
Sikka said he would make changes in the film as the Akal Takht wanted before screening it.
The film was released everywhere except Punjab and Chandigarh on April 17: authorities in both Punjab and Chandigarh deferred its release by two months citing possible law and order problems.
Radical outfit Dal Khalsa had first objected to the contents of the film, which is based on the life of Guru Nanak, and had submitted a memorandum to the Akal Takht head on April 6 against allowing the movie to be released.
On April 10, Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) President Avtar Singh Makkar, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, had urged them to ban the film.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Kanwar Pal Singh, spokesperson of the radical Dal Khalsa, said Sikka "surrendered" before the Akal Takht. — PTI
