"inside Man" By Spike Lee

[sskhalsa]

Vaheguru je ka khalsa vaheguru je ke fateh

There is a new movie by Spike Lee called Inside Man with Denzel Washington. During the movie, a Sikh bank employee is a hostage, and has his turban pulled off by a police officer when he is released.

I just opened this thread for discussion. I tracked down some articles in the press, and posted them here along with an Interview with Spike lee translated into english:

http://www.sskhalsa.com/?p=93

From what I can gather, his intentions are for public awareness rather than an attack against Sikhs.

Vaheguru je ka khalsa vaheguru je ke fateh

[crayzy]

hes showing the bigoted attitude against minorites

spike lee films rarely show the cops in a good light.

[sikh182]

any1 seen the film 25th hour by spike lee?

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

Per the interview, Spike Lee's intention is very much to target the ignorance in American society. What people may interpret is another matter, but it is a noble sentiment nevertheless.

[ParwinderSingh]

Vahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa

Vahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh

I just went and seen a film called 'inside man' today and without trying to spoil it for you, its about a bank robbery where they take hostages.

And anyway one of the hostages is released and he is a Sikh who works at the bank. Anyway the police suspect him as one of the robbers and arrest him.

They take off his turban and call him an arab and say something like have you gotta bombetc.

Then theres a scene where they are interogating him and he tells the police that the turban is very important, and its role and that he is not an arab like he was called, and that sikhs get harassed where ever they go .........

Personnaly i was really really happy about this scene, because we get a little bit of sikh awareness out into the world , and at least ppl will realise the importance of turban aswel. But at the start i was a lil uncomfortablt watching his turban been taken off, but the next scene made me feel better.

Anyone else seen it? what do you think about it?

please don't jump to any assumptions by reading this, its better if you watch it and comment.

Sorry if i spoilt it a bit

Fateh

[Jaspaul Singh]

nice !

i was gona go see that movie.. another reason why i should go :wub:

[msjskb]

can see how you must have uncomfortable with the first scene, but i think i agree with you it is good awareness for sikhs.

sometimes these are the only ways to show the world. its unfortunate that we havent been able to tell the world who we are. yet we will start criticising people who try.

[The Khalsa Fauj]

Oye book pareaa kurr. Movie dekhdaa rehndaa!

[Harnek Singh]

Waheguru Jika Khalsa, Waheguru Jiki Fateh

Spike Lee's intention, IMO, is to show bigotry and racial prejudice that exists in the Western countries. 5 years after 9/11 and most are still ignorant. There is a thin line between being patriotic and bigotry, most can't tell which side they are on.

Gurfateh

[Niranjana]

I went to see this film a week ago, it stars Waris Ahluwalia, the CK model turned actor in the Bill Murray movie Life Aquatic - he is a Keshdhari Sikh.

The scenes involving Waris are fine - perhaps people should first watch the movie and then draw conclusions. Unlike the majority of films depicting Sikhs, he doesn't have a comical indian accent, but a full on American one and plays a financier rather than the clown taxi driver, road side tea maker or overweight farmer that most Indian movies like to depict Sardars as.

He plays Vikram Valia, a bank employee who is caught up as a hostage during a raid and sent out of the Bank gagged with a message written around his neck. The police outside the bank immediately assume he's an Arab, despite his assertions to being a Sikh and then having beaten him to the ground (his hands are tied by the Bank Raiders), they than rip his Dastaar off his head, whislt his furious protests are ignored and he is dragged away.

If anyone if offended by this, then fine - that's what it is supposed to show - a disgraceful act similar to a depiction of violence, assault or rape in a movie, NOT an attack on the Sikhs themselves! It is graphic, but gets the point across moreso...

The scene returns to Waris when the police are questioning him - again he protests that he will not speak to them until he is given his turban and explains the disgrace they bestow on him ('where are my civil rights'..'first you beat me, now you want my help'...'this is a religious duty, to honour and respect God before all else'...'can't even board a plane without being pulled aside on some supposed random selection'...'sikh!!! not arab, like your cop colleagues called me').

The scenes are great, the movie is great and I'm glad Spike Lee has chosen to give air to this - the few seconds that Waris is in the scenes he sets a fine motion for what a Turban means to a Sikh, how disgraceful it is to insult one's Turban and moreover remove it and glad to see more roles for Waris Ahluwalia alongside high profile celebrities like Densel Wasington, Jodie Foster and Welhem Defoe.

Gur Fateh!