SGPC urges CM to ban screening of Kangana’s movie

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to stop the release of actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut’s movie “Emergency” in the state on January 17.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the committee would be compelled to stage a state-wide protest if the movie was not banned in Punjab.

After a trailer of the movie surfaced on August 14, 2024, several Sikh bodies had objected to its release and accused the film-makers of misrepresenting the Sikh community and twisting historical facts.

A row had erupted over the depiction of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the film. Sources said some sequences related to Bhindranwale had reportedly been omitted in the final prints.

Yet, in the absence of any official communication whether the objectionable scenes had been deleted, the SGPC had demanded the film to be shown to representatives of the Sikh body prior to its release in theatres.

“The release of the film will cause a lot of anger and resentment in the Sikh community, if it contains misinterpreted portions,” he said. Earlier, the SGPC had sent a legal notice to the film producers for misrepresenting Sikhs and demanded removal of the trailer and sought apology.