Why some Sikhs are upset with ‘Manmarziyaan’

Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in ‘Manmarziyaan’. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, whose film Manmarziyaan has reportedly upset some Sikhs, says the Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushalstarrer is a story of three persons and not Sikhism.

According to a report, members of the Sikh community in Ambala expressed displeasure over a scene in the film in which Bachchan and Pannu, who play a Sikh couple, have been shown smoking.

“Manmarziyaan is a story of three individuals and not their religion. I am sorry if anyone feels genuinely hurt, but I would also request that please don’t make this unnecessary political because it’s not,” Kashyap tweeted on Wednesday.

“I have always put out things the way they are without an agenda. Technology does not allow us to cut a scene and it affects the storytelling. So, I definitely cannot do that now. And for those who are doing it for attention, I am glad you have got the attention,” he added.

The filmmaker wasn’t in India when the controversy erupted, but he took out time to respond on social media.

“This film is not commenting on a community, it talks about individuals and their choices. Every step of the way, we asked for guidance from Sikh people for the film. When we shot the sequence in Gurudwara, we were told we can’t shoot them getting married as it can’t be faked. So we made the actors do only ‘mattha tekna’ [paying respects],” he clarified.

Manmarziyaan is now playing in UAE theatres.