Negative and Positive views of Sikhs in the Media
The Article is needed to show the world what how media is potraiting a community. i think Sikhiwiki will not reject it.
The Media nowdays are Stereotyping the Sikhs and any unbiased person can easily guess the hands behind such propaganda. Now let us make a Detailed list of the Movies, Serials, Video Albums, Advertisements and everything else in Media which tried to defame Sikh Identity. From this data we will be able to make a report which will reveal the more bitter truths about the issue.
In this list I want you to post as following:
- Name of the movie, album or serial
- Year : in which it was released
- Write in one line (not in detail) the objectionable character or scene.
This may include:
- Making jokes on Sikhs like the movies Raja Hindustani, Mission Kashmir etc
- The movies Making the impression that in the recent struggle of Sikhs. Govt was right and Sikhs were terrorists...this may include the movies like Shootout at lokhandwala, sangharsh etc.
- Note: The reviews taken from Orkut website, and mostly are saying correct
So here List Starts:
Hollywood Movies
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen pictures an Indian in the role of Captain Nemo the captain of the super advanced submarine the Nautilus from the pen of the French writer Jules Verne, published in 1870. The character is much loved and admired by American and European boys. Nemo has not been previously portrayed as an Indian. A wealthy inventor he traveled the 7 seas attacking evil in his previous film incarnations. The problem here is that he may be thought of by uninformed viewers (even the films writers?) as a Sikh. There are no symbols shown which would identify him as a Sikh while his worshipping Kali mah points to his being a Rajput. Kal (time) is the destroyer of all and is worshipped by Hindus as the Goddess Kal (i) who puts and end to the Ego- the I am my body belief, the bringer of Moksha that a Hindu Rajput Prince would believe in!
Even in the Bond film Octopu___ the evil villian may be mistaken as a Sikh even though he has a well trimmed beard and sports a Nehru jacket as he carries out his attacks on the real world Lake Palace Hotel, Jagniwas Island, Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Indian Serials
TV Serial: Anu Ki Ho Gayi Wah Bai Wah Released: Started recently Objection: This serial has portrayed a sikh guy with rubbish image. It had shown an episode in which A Clean Shaven Sardar, patka on head, Drinking wine and khanda in neck. It is said recently they shown a sikh couple doing anand karaj around fire i.e hindu ritual.
Bollywood Movies
Movie Name: Shootout at lokhandwala Year of Release 2007 Objection: Sikh revolutionaries are compared with Underworld dons
Movie Name Sangharsh Year of Release 1999 Objection: The slogan Raj Karega Khalsa is being misused and misinterpreted by Preity Zinta’s brother who is shown to be a Sikh "terrorist".
Movie : Jo Bole so nihal Release Year: 2005 Objectional Character : Sunny Deol showing Sikhs in very distasteful manner. His mother is shown as a joker too.
Movie : Jab we Met Release Year: 2007 Objection : Kareena Kapoor shown as dumb girl, and boosting word sikhni sikhni for no reason.
Movie : Bunty Aur Bubly Year Released : 2005 Objectional Scene : Sikh girl smoking
Movie : Gaddar - Ek Prem Katha Release Year: 2001 Objectional Character : Sunny deol as a Sikh but muslim calls him hindu many times. Sunny Deol (as a Sikh) represents a gvaar and his friend (a sikh in cheap dressup) behaves abnormally.
Movie: Hattrick Release Year: 2007 Objection : Absurd song " RABBA KHER KARE, LUT GAYA SARDAR": Song is sung by a Sikh: Labh (Singh) Janjua
Movie : Dil to Pagal Hai Release Year 1997, Objection : a Sikh knows that his hindu friend has an affair with his sister..and he uses cheap words to
Movie : Khusboo (http://www.khushboomovie.com) Release Year: 2008 (not released yet) Objection : A sikh family is shown in wrong manner and their daughter is having affair with a hindu who is living in their house and family have no problem with their viah. Same bollywood crap. Crazy thing is that our bollywood friend "MANMEET" is acting in this movie.
Movie : Bombay to Goa Release Year 2007 Objection : A joker looking bengali shown as sardar wearing binga sidha patka and acting retarded
Movie : Hanuman Returns Release Year 2008 Objection : the school Headmaster of Hanuman is shown to be a Sardar who behaves in a disgusting way...note that this movie is to PROMOTE their (who is the their?) Religion...
Movie : No Entry (Yes this is really the movie's name) Release Year 2005 Objection : In a Song Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan wear patka and...
Movie Name Sangharsh Year of Release 1999 Objection: the slogan Raj Karega Khalsa is being misused and misinterpreted by Preity Zinta’s brother who is shown to be a ‘terrorist”…
Movie Name: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Release Year: 1998 Objection: Objectional song: ik nikke jehe neyane nu sardar bana ke mazak uddan de usda...
Movie Name: Mohabbatein Year of Release 2000 Objection: Anupam Kher wears patka and....spreads NAFRAT in mohabbatein. pity on such people..
Movie Name: Mission Kashmir Year of Release 2000 Objection: The movie starts from a scene where a Sikh is portrayed as a very cowardly person… and moreover this scene has nothing to do with the rest of the movie
Movie Name: Raja Hindustani Year of Release 1996 Objection: Johnny leaver make fun of Sikhs
Punjabi Movies
It is shame for punjabi movie industry itself, NO movie has a saabat soorat lead. Maximum roles played by heroes are inhead and sons of sardars sikh family. These movies are danger to sikh youth.
Some Movies:
Jee ayan nu (Harbhajan Maan)
asan nu maan watna da (Harbhajan Maan)
pind di kuri (sarabjeet cheema)
yaaran naal baharan (jimmy shergill, juhi babbar)
mannat (jimmy shergil, kulraj randhava)
Dil Apna Punjabi (Harbhajan Maan, Neeru Bajwa, etc)
Rabb Ne Banaiya Jodiaan (Babbu Maan, etc)
Waris Shah (Gurdaas Maan, Juhi Chawla, etc)
Mannat (Jimmy Sheirgill, Kulraj, etc)
Mehndi Wale Hath (New guys, one was seen in Manmohan Waris's vdo Punjabi Shera and the other one in Nachhatar Gill's Suit Patiala)
Ek Jind Ek Jaan (Aryan Vaid, Nagma, etc)
All have sikhs in them. but name ONE movie that has sikh in lead. In movie mannat turbaned sikhs were shown as "Bad guys" and clean shaven as a hero. In others,people with turbaned people like ghuggi shown as comedy characters.
One Movie, Starring a Sikh
Shaheed-E-Mohabbat , true story of Boota Singh, set during the Partition the movie shows the Sikhs and the Muslims both as good and bad people. Gurdas Mann (a Jatt Sikh) who plays Boota Singh a soldier who returns to Punjab after WWII is never portrayed as a comedian.
Nasseeruddin Shah was potrayed as a Rajput warrior who worshipped kali in the Movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. You may remember that the Rajputs as Kshatriyas considered the turban to be their exclusive 'warrior's' domain along with weapons and horses. In his conversations with Guru Gobind Singh, the promotion of people, some of whom the Pahari Rajput Sardars considered to be beneath them, to a status equal to their exclusive caste (Kshatriyas) in the formation of the Khalsa was part of their beef with the Guru. The title Sardar had previously been used by Pathans and Rajputs for some time. Seeing their neighbors trained as warriors, wearing turbans without going through the 8 million laks jiva thing and of course their jealousy and envie of the Sikh Panth as the giant Nagara (war drum) was being played and Anandpur grew daily must have been a constant topic of upset.
Do some Sikhs not know that everyone wearing a turban in a movie is not a Sikh. I have never read the book on which the Movie was made did it say he was a sikh? If the writers added a murti or called him a sikh it would be because they know little of Sikhs and even less of Rajputs.
You can credit the actual fame of Sikhs, many of whom still wear turbans, that when westerners see Nemo or the villan in 'Octopus.sy' the Bond flick that they just assume anyone in a Turban is a Sikh as there is no knowledge of the original warriors, the Rajputs in the west. All the movies that American and Europeans grow up with feature Sikhs fighting the British. The Marathas and the Rajputs are generally unknown. The view from this side of the world of Sikhs is a positive one.
Sorry the title of the Bond flick was filtered out automatically.
Music Videos
Babbu Mann, Jazzy b and other where promotes punjabi culture but also promote Gunda gardi, Jattpuna, Nashey Pattey etc.