Bollywood’s Manmarziyaan has challenged the Sikhs and it is time to respond. It is an absolutely sick flick which defames Amritsar by portraying how Amritsar girls are: drunkards, debauch, uncaring and devilish. The writer, producer, directors and actors have crossed the line. It is time that Sikhs respond to this battle of Sikh misrepresentation and blasphemous characterisation in the name of freedom of expression. The movie must be fully banned.

Tears rolling down my cheeks, I saw Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu smoke while playing Sikh characters in Manmarziyaan, two days ago, followed by two sleepless nights. The derogatory scenes had not been deleted. The film is shameless and sickening. Each frame is incendiary and revolting. Every few minutes, I felt like vomiting.

Manmarziyaan showcases Sikhs living in the bylanes cheek-by-jowl to holy Golden Temple, Amritsar. Through scenes, it mispresents the lives of Amritsari girls through Rumi, played by Taapsee Pannu. The song in the background generalises this for all Amritsar girls. Taapsee Pannu takes pride in being called a dayan -devil; indulges in pre-marital and post-marital sex at the drop of a hat, right in her own home with a neighbourhood junkie; she smokes and drinks and her sister stands guard. Her parents know all this and still do nothing. The turbaned grandfather seems to say, “what can I do?” And the response is like, “What can you do?

The sick heroine Taapsee Pannu smokes and drinks like a moll from a cabaret club. The parents and the parents-in-law are spineless and don’t stop her! The grandfather catches the granddaughter and her junkie beau red-handed in their very house, and all he says to the boy is, “Wear your shirt properly!”  Do you want us to believe that since she has Sikh lineage, it is okay to do this? The entire Sikh household looks on and she holds everyone to ransom. The scene holds the entire Sikh community to ransom.

Defending her story, creative writer -Kanika Dhillon alludes to anti-heroes of Punjab-Amrita Pritam and Pash. These “ideologues” stoked fires in Punjab, a few decades back, denigrating Sikh value systems and being accomplices of the state in Sikh genocide.  Sadly, Kanika has fallen prey to that school of thought. In her defence, she talks about the heroine’s love life and ignores the issues of smoking, drinking and promiscuity. Selective amnesia?

“The film is shameless and sickening. Each frame is incendiary and revolting. Every few minutes, I felt like vomiting.”

The grandson of Khazan Singh and Teji Kaur, son of Amitabh and Jaya -Abhishek Bachchan dons the turban and drops it umpteen times as if it was a fashionable tool. Amitabh Bachchan tweets to his son that his grandparents would be happy to see him playing a Sikh. No, Mr Bachchan. They must be turning in their graves. Retrospectively, Teji Kaur must be regretting that she married in your family.

Aanand Rai of Yellow Colour Films justifying deletion “as it does not affect the genre” told the Censor Board to delete three scenes objected to by Sikhs, yet director Anurag Kashyap has made a big hullaballoo through twitter. He was joined by Taapsee and other unseen associates of the movie on Twitter.

“In the Twitter war, Taapsee Pannu is poking fun of Sikhs by saying that drinking is okay! It is not. Years ago, she taunted she would never marry a Sikh! Rabbi Shergill tweeted, “marrying a Sikh does not come easy, it has to be earned.””

Anurag Kashyap wants us to believe that “they sought guidance from the crowd that used to gather to witness the shooting.” He says in his lame-duck apology, “do not make it political.” By choosing to make a film in Amritsar and the Golden Temple, he attempted the political, not the Sikhs. He said that he was overwhelmed with the hospitality of Punjab. Next time, it is going to be different.

Anurag Kashyap has taunted the Sikhs by saying that “deletion of the scenes will solve the issues of Punjab.” He certainly has added to the problem. To add insult to injury, Taapsee Pannu continues her vilification campaign, ridiculing Sikh values and demeaning Sikh family systems in the reel life as well in real life.

“Amitabh Bachchan tweeted his son that his grandparents would be happy to see him playing a Sikh. No, Mr Bachchan. They must be turning in their graves. Teji Kaur must be regretting she married in your family.”

Her closing lines in the movie are that “I am a devil.” Undoubtedly, she is. Years ago, when she was a nobody attempting to become a somebody, she said, “I did not like long hair and I cut them. My father who is a Sardar did not say anything.” Is the same impotency reflected on screen?

In the Twitter war, Taapsee Pannu is poking fun of Sikhs by saying that drinking is okay! It is not. She taunts by saying that Sikhism is the best religion! Sikhs don’t need sermons on religion from her. Do we not remember that she had vented her feelings earlier too by saying that, she would never marry a Sikh! It was Rabbi Shergill who tweeted her, “marrying a Sikh does not come easy, it has to be earned.”

A sick society fostering a subculture of smoke, drink and promiscuity is not acceptable. Amritsar is not like that. Sikhism is definitely not like that.  Anurag Kashyap, the Bachchans and the Pannus should be prepared to face the Sikh wrath. They have done a grave injustice to Sikhs. They should not be surprised if Jathas of Sikhs land up in front of their doorstep to protest.

Sikh film-maker Sukhwinder Singh, writing on Facebook has strongly admonished those Sikhs who played petty roles and who did petty tasks in the movie are elated about it. He is categoric, “there is an entire system out there to defame Sikhs and the only way we can counter is to keep away from such machinations.”

“The entire crew of Manmarziyaan is guilty of defaming and misrepresenting Sikhs. They owe an unconditional apology. The Sikhs will not rest till the movie is completely banned. It cannot be allowed to enter our drawing rooms through satellite channels.”

SGPC should stop shooting of films within the Golden Temple precincts and put a full stop to hosting and honouring film folk. Anyone can come to pay obeisance but to use that to promote films is intolerable. Can someone cite a Bollywood scene where a Hindu believer eats beef and a Muslim believer eats pork?

The entire crew of Manmarziyaan is guilty of defaming and misrepresenting Sikhs. They owe an unconditional apology. The Sikhs will not rest until the movie is completely banned. It cannot be allowed to enter our drawing rooms through satellite channels.

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It’s time for some “Manmarziyaan” by Sikhs.