Why Gippy Grewal's 'Akaal' is facing backlash in Punjab
What's the story
Singer and actor Gippy Grewal's latest film, Akaal: The Unconquered, which was released on Thursday, has courted controversy in Punjab for its portrayal of the Sikh community.
Baba Bakshish Singh, a Sikh activist, reportedly accused the historical drama of disrespecting Sikhs by showing them drinking, consuming tobacco, and as mundit (without hair).
Singh also called out the portrayal of Sikh warriors like Hari Singh Nalwa and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, demanding that actors playing them should do so with dignity.
Controversial actions
Singh was detained for holding protests
Singh threatened to ban the release of films like Akaal in Punjab. He accused the state of supporting filmmakers whose intention was to "undermine" Sikh history.
After these allegations, Singh was reportedly detained by the Punjab Police.
Inspired by real events, Akaal focuses on the courage and sacrifices of Sikh warriors.
It is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Bhumika Tewari of Dharma Productions along with Grewal and Ravneet Kaur Grewal of Humble Motion Pictures Fzco.
Filmmaker's perspective
Grewal earlier detailed challenges in making historical films
Speaking to Zoom, Grewal had addressed the challenges of making movies on historical characters.
He said, "Kayi filmein isiliye nahi banti mujhe lagta hai ya toh filmein right bane ya bane hi na (Many films are not made because they should either be right or not made at all)."
"We can't even make light jokes now as there will be issues created. There's also a problem with the censor."
Historical commitment
Grewal admitted political issues hamper the pace of projects' completion
Grewal further added, "History pe humare bohot sare mudde hai, humare pipeline mein do teen subjects hai aur hum unko bana rahe hai (We have many incidents in history, we've two or three subjects in our pipeline and we are only making them)."
"Kaafi time se main laga hua hu. Voh usi vajah se phase hue hai kyunki voh political mudde hai (I've been working on it for a long time. Things remained stuck because they are political issues)."