Bollywood and controversy have been synonyms for many years. Now, Anil Sharma’s magnum opus, Gadar 2: The Katha Continues, the sequel of the iconic cult classic “Gadar”, starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel is embroiled in a fresh controversy.
On June 7, Wednesday, a video of a romantic scene from the movie leaked online in which the two actors can be seen gazing at each other while standing arm in arm in a Gurdwara at Chandigarh while the dhol is playing in the background. Some youths dressed as Nihang Sikhs are also seen performing the traditional Gatka (Sikh martial art).
As the clip went viral on the internet, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) slammed the filmmakers and Sunny Deol for filming a romantic scene inside a religious place. They have also objected to the use of the traditional Gatka in the video.
“A video is going viral in which the Hindi film actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sunny Deol is there. It is being told that the footage is from Gadar 2 and they have used Gurdwara as a venue for shooting the love sequence which cannot be filmed inside a Gurdwara. Flowers are being showered and Singhs are doing Gatka around them,” SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal protested in a video released by the organisation and tagged both the actor and BJP’s Twitter handle.
“The film’s director and Sunny Deol should understand that Gurdwara is not a place to shoot movies. Gurdwara is a place of reverence and boundaries. We strongly object to the scene and the gatka performed by the Singhs. The Sikh community feels humiliated by such depictions. Sunny Deol has to be held directly responsible for this,” he added.
According to reports, the scene which is has been slammed by the SGPC is the scene of the climax of the film, in which Sunny Deol meets the film’s lead Ameesha Patel inside the gurudwara after returning from Pakistan.
Gadar 2 director issues apology
After SGPC’s disapproval, the movie’s director Anil Sharma released a clarification on the issue and “sincerely” apologised for hurting or offending anyone unintentionally. “The shooting in Chandigarh gurdwara has led to a little confusion in the hearts of some friends. I have been taught ‘All religions are true, all religions are equal,’ and this is the mantra of Gadar 2’s unit,” he wrote on Twitter. However, Sunny Deol is yet to offer a statement on the matter.
Gadar 2 is a highly anticipated sequel to the 2001 blockbuster Gadar which was also directed by Anil Sharma and featured Sunny Deol as Tara Singh and Ameesha Patel as Sakeena Ali. It is expected to release in August but the filmmakers have not yet announced a release date.