Demonstrations were organized in several cities of Punjab on Friday after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee demanded the ban of Kangana Ranaut’s film Emergency. The political drama that portrays the 21-month suspended civil liberties period headed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the year 1975 to 1977 was sternly opposed, especially by the Sikh groups.
While the sequences show the events of the emergency, the movie has invoked criticism, especially among the Sikh community, for the depiction of Sikh characters. The SGPC, which claims to represent the religious aspects of the Sikh community, protested outside cinemas in major cities, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda and demanded a ban on the film. They alleged that the film distorted the image of the Sikh and fomented trouble in the area.
In Amritsar, violent demonstrations were seen as protesters floated black flags and had placards that said the emergency should be banned and that the Boycott Emergency Movie should be banned. Members of SGPC also expressed their concern, saying that after holding a meeting with the central government and state government of Punjab, no action was taken to stop the release of the film. Now SGPC cannot hold a meeting to stop the release of the movie, but no action was taken after the organisation approached the government. The film is intended to disrupt the calmness of Punjab.
The SGPC has these objections over the top of this so-called belief that Ranaut, a BJP Member of Parliament, is trying to divide people rather than unify them. Another SGPC member, Kulwant Singh Manan, objected to Ranaut because what he said were irresponsible acts of a celebrity, stressing that she should be a positive influence.
Thus, despite the success of the protests, Emergency was not shown in many cinemas in Punjab, as police forces surrounded shopping malls and theatres in preparation for new unrest.
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