Negative and Positive views of Sikhs in the Media: Difference between revisions

Popular is stereotyping the Sikhs as either clowns with no brain or terrorists. While Sikhs are negatively represented, they are widely recognized in modern media.

Detailed list

Please help make a detailed list of movies, TV shows, music videos, advertisements, and any other media you find that defames Sikhs. From this data we will be able to make a report which will reveal the more bitter truths about the issue.

Also as you see positive Sikh role models and positive media about Sikhs and Sikhi, add that in the positive section.

In this list please post the following:

1. Name of the movie, album or show
   
2. Release Date
   
3. Please write a brief account describing the objectionable character, scene, ect.
   

This may include:

1. Jokes about Sikhs (ex: Raja Hindustani, Mission Kashmir).
2. Wrong impressions of Sikhs (ex: Shootout at Lokhandwala, Sangharsh, etc.)

Hollywood Movies

Negative Portrayals:

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen shows an Indian in the role of Captain Nemo (supposed to be a Sikh in the book), the captain of a super advanced submarine, the Nautilus. Naseeruddin Shah lends his acting skills as Nemo, who is depicted as a Hindu Rajput, given his altar/worship to Kali and passion for wearing a turban and weapons. Westerners would possibly think he is a Sikh because of his turban, beard, and swordsmanship. This is also contradictory to the book's description of Nemo being a Sikh.

• In Octopussy the James Bond flick, Kabir Bedi plays the evil villain Govinda (the henchman of Kamal Khan), and has a well trimmed beard, wears a Nehru jacket, and carries out attacks on the Lake Palace Hotel, Jagniwas Island, Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

• In Hancock a Sikh man is the owner of a liquor store and is on the verge of getting robbed. He is defenseless and is held with a gun to his head. This is offensive in that he promotes the consumption of alcohol (against Sikhi) and cannot defend himself (Sikhs are supposed to be strong, courageous people who fight for their right and against oppression).

• In Partition a Sikh man is shown serving for the British in WWII (this is a good thing, as many Sikhs laid down their lives for US, UK, etc. in the world wars) and wears a turban (also a good thing, as he maintains his Sikh appearance while serving in the military). He takes care of a young Muslim girl and protects her, as she is lost from her family due to the Partition of India (also very Sikh-like as he cares for those in need). Soon he begins to love her and marries her (this however is prohibited in Sikhi, as she is Muslim). After She visits her family in Pakistan, they refuse to let her leave and vow to get her married, denying her relationship with a Sikh man. The Sikh does a very shameful act as he goes on a journey to bring back his love-he cuts his hair and adopts an Islamic name, therefore converting to Islam. He chooses to forsake his religion rather than his maintain it, just in the name of love. This film is very similar to non-Hollywood films Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and Shaheed-e-Mohabbat.

Positive Portrayals:

• In Darjeeling Limited a Sikh cab driver in the opening scene winds his way through oncoming Indian traffic, racing to deposit Bill Murray at the train station. A Sikh family is seen dining in the train compartment. At one point in the film, the Whitman brothers attend a kirtan, and are surrounded by a room full of Sikhs. The brothers kneel down to matha-tek, questioning if the act itself is actually "working". Waris Ahluwalia shows up in numerous scenes on the train as the chief steward. It's encouraging to see him exploring his range and depth as an actor in these various supporting roles.

• In Inside Man a Sikh is portrayed. Along with being a heist film, Inside Man is notable for having a great deal of underlying racial tension and commentary on racial issues in modern American society, such as when the Sikh man, initially suspected to be an Arab, is immediately suspected by the police because of the turban he wears, and the tension between groups of different ethnic minorities.He has his turban taken away and complains how Sikhs are not Arabs, he's tired of getting harassed all the time, and his civil rights are continually violated in post-9/11 New York. Detective Frazier responds, "I bet you can get a cab, though." Then the Sikh replies gracefully, "I guess that's one of the perks." Many things are shown in this movie. The racism of ignorant attitudes is captured. The turban removal scene is embarrassing, disgraceful, and harsh but it shows the struggles Sikhs go through in modern society. The Sikh remains in Chardi-Kala even though his own nation refused to accept his identity. This is excellent in showing one of the fundamental principles of Sikhi. Spike Lee did a great service to our community by bringing this character to life and in retrospect, this scene would be useful in educating people of Sikhism.

• The English Patient devotes time to Hana and her romance with Kip, an Indian Sikh sapper in the British Army. Due to various events in her past, Hana believes that anyone who comes close to her is likely to die, and Kip's position as a bomb defuser makes their romance full of tension. This a great portrayal of Sikhs, who served in great numbers for UK, USA, etc. in both world wars. It also shows that he maintains his Sikh appearance while serving in battle while among non-Sikhs. However at one point, Kip sleeps with Hana (adultery is banned in Sikhism).

• In Bend It Like Beckham Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is the 18-year-old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs from Hounslow, west London. She follows her dreams of playing football, despite the challenges coming from a Indian community and being a girl. This film accurately shows the challenges Sikhs go through abroad to integrate into society, and is an amazing example of how women can do anything men can do. Jess ends up playing in America and becomes a professional football player. Girls can do anything and should feel proud to be a girl, following the footsteps of Mai Bhago (Mata Bhag Kaur).

• Ocean of Pearls is a Hollywood movie in which a Sikh man with a full beard and turban, AMRIT SINGH is often the target of racial profiling. But when he sees his dreams of becoming Chief of Surgery at a state-of-the-art transplant center dwindle because of his appearance, Amrit goes against a tradition he's maintained his whole life and cuts his hair. Hiding this decision from his girlfriend and family in Toronto is only the start of a series of compromises Amrit finds himself making as he deals with hospital politics and health care injustices. When his compromises result in the death of a patient, Amrit begins to reexamine the value of the religious traditions he'd turned his back on. See more at http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Ocean_Of_Pearls

Bollywood Movies

Movie Name: Shootout at Lokhandwala
Year of Release: 2007
Objection: Sikh revolutionaries are labelled terrorists and are compared with underworld dons.

Movie Name: Baghban
Year of Release: 2003
Objection: Asrani plays a very comical, stereotypical image of Sikhs with a fake turban.

Movie Name: Sangharsh
Year of Release: 1999
Objection: The slogan Raj Karega Khalsa is misused and misinterpreted by Preity Zinta’s brother who is shown to be a 
Sikh "terrorist".

Movie: Jo Bole so Nihaal
Year of Release: 2005 
Objection: Sunny Deol portrays a Sikh in a very distasteful manner, as he is filled with ego and shown as illiterate and stupid. 
His mother is shown as an Amritdhari and a sick, idiotic woman. Deol is a Sikh police officer is shown being chased by 
scantily-clad women.

Movie: Jab we Met
Year of Release: 2007 
Objection : Kareena Kapoor shown as dumb, stupid, and crazy girl and demoralizes the image of a woman, Jatti, and Sikhni through 
her  actions.

Movie: Bunty Aur Bubly
Year of Release: 2005
Objection: Rani Mukherjee is a Sikh girl who smokes

Movie: Golmaal Returns
Year of Release: 2008
Objection: Gopal uses his friend's yatch one night to escape being drenched in the rain. The boat's appliances (like TV) sugest 
that his friend is into women and watches porn. It is later reviled that his friend is a Sikh and is shown fat, wears 
jewelry (showing Maya and ego), and hangs out with multiple women (suggesting adultery).

Movie: Gaddar - Ek Prem Katha
Year of Release: 2001
Objection: Sunny Deol is a Sikh who slaughters Muslims in the name of Waheguru during the Partition. He is shown as an 
illiterate and marries a Muslim girl.

Movie: Hattrick
Year of Release: 2007
Objection: Absurd song "RABBA KHER KARE, LUT GAYA SARDAR" (sung by a Sikh-Labh Singh Janjua

Movie: Dil to Pagal Hai
Year of Release: 1997
Objection: A Sikh knows that his friend had an affair with his sister, and he uses cheap words

Movie: Khusboo
Year of Release: 2008
Objection: A Sikh family is shown in the wrong manner and their daughter has an affair with a Hindu who is living in their 
house. The family has no problem with this relationship or their marriage.

Movie: Bombay to Goa
Year of Release: 2007
Objection: A Sardar is shown wearing a patka and acts mentally handicapped.

Movie: Hanuman Returns
Year of Release: 2008
Objection: The school Headmaster of Hanuman is shown to be a Sardar 
who behaves in a disgusting way. This is used to promote Hinduism over Sikhi, and defame Sikhs by showing them 
as arrogant/condescending and labeling them as a cult of Hindus.

Movie Name: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Year of Release: 1998
Objection: Objectional song: ik nikke jehe neyane nu sardar bana ke mazak uddan de usda...
(translation/explanation needed)

Movie Name: Mohabbatein
Year of Release: 2000
Objection: Anupam Kher wears patka and....spreads Nafrat (translation needed) in 
mohabbatein. 

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 Laver makes fun of Sikhs

Punjabi Movies

It is shame for punjabi movie industry itself, NO movie has a saabat soorat lead. Major roles played by the film's heroes have their hair trimmed and sons of sardars sikh family. These movies are a 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.

Positive portrayals

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.

Films with positive portrayals of Sikhs

Bollywood

• Lagaan, A really good Criket player out to kick some British…
• Munna Bhai MBBS - I know in movie he is shown as fraudster but these type of people exists so no wrongly done here. Producer has kept not to break any code of conduct.
• Heroes - Salman Khan plays a Sikh with Kesh and Purgree, but his son Jasvinder Singh, again played by Salman Khan at the end of the movie, is shown clean shaven.

• Vijeta, excellent portrayel of a sikh as the primary character in the film…

Print Media

Sandeep (Sonny) Caberwal with Times Square billboard

• A Year in the Best-Dressed Life of Waris Ahluwalia, Vanity Fair magazine

One of the 2010 International Best-Dressed List’s honorees is New York City and Jaipur resident Waris Ahluwalia, who (rather unsurprisingly) describes his style as East meets West. The C.F.D.A.-nominated House of Waris jewelry designer and bit-part actor, who likes wearing tailored suits from Savile Row accented with pocket squares and pink suede George Esquivel shoes, is also one of the few people in the world who isn’t afraid to wear denim on denim. Here’s a look back at some of his most memorable outfits of the past year.