Even after being cleared by the Censor Board, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday said that he would ask his Home Secretary to look into the controversy generated over the movie Kaum de Heere, a Punjabi film based on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassins being released in the State.
“I will ask my Home Secretary to look into it,” he said at Amritsar reacting to a furore over the film.
At the same time he said that the Censor Board of the Union Government clears each and every film after watching it. “Each film is censored by the Censor Board of the Government before its clearance,” he said.
“If there is anything wrong (in any film)...If it hurts the sentiments or arouses passion then the Censor Board must look into it,” he said.
On being told that the main Opposition Congress is opposing the release of film, Badal said, “It is all right, but I have not seen the film.”
He said that the “Censor Board deletes scenes from a film which it feels are incorrect or improper”.
The Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) has sought a ban on the controversial picture, saying that it “glorifies the assassins” of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
In a recent letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PYC president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary had said that it was unfortunate that the movie was being allowed to be screened in Punjab and other parts of the country.
He warned that if the permission for the film’s screening is not withdrawn, PYC activists will stage protests across the State and prevent its release and screening. “The Government shall be responsible for any law and order issue that may crop up,” he said.
Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her two Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi on October 31, 1984.
After months of stalling due to objections by the Censor Board, the movie on the Indira Gandhi’s assassins — Beant Singh, Satwant Singh and their accomplice Kehar Singh — is set for release on August 22.
The movie has security agencies worried as the portrayal of Indira Gandhi’s assassins as heroes and its justification may spark protests. Reports stated that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has warned the Union Home Ministry about possible tensions between communities (Hindus and Sikhs).
Though Badal put the onus on the Censor Board which he said clears the movies, after deletion of objectionable scenes, if any, the SAD-BJP Government in the State had in the recent past banned a Punjabi movie Sadda Haq and Hindi movie Aarakshan.
In April 2013, the Chief Minister had justified the ban on Sadda Haq, which reportedly glorified the Khalistan movement and its leaders, saying that the State Government was committed to maintain peace and harmony.
The movie was based on events in Punjab during 1980-90s and portrayed alleged police torture and other inhuman practices that were reported during the period.
Earlier in August 2011 after UP, the Punjab Government had also imposed a ban on Prakash Jha’s controversial Hindi film Aarakshan following apprehensions that some scenes and dialogues may trigger trouble.
Kaum De Here’s producer Satish Katyal claimed that it is a family movie and has nothing which will create tension. The film has already been released in other countries on March 14 and the response from the audience has been “positive”, he said.