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Bollywood "heros" Playing Sikhs


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Now Salman Khan will be playing the role of a sardar.

http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3385749.cms

Salman is the real Hero

21 Aug, 2008 06:00 am ISTlReshma Kelkar/INDIATIMES MOVIES

He plays a Sardar for the first time in Samir Karnik’s Heroes and to keep the authenticity of the character he grew his beard and followed some important elements of that religion. Well what surprised us most that a chain smoker like Salman decided to refrain from smoking whenever he was in his Sikh getup.

It is believed that Salman didn’t smoke during the shoot of his film. What made him do that? We asked Vikas Kapoor manager of Salman Khan who is also the producer of Heroes. He replied, “Salman respects all religion and follows them religiously. He knew that Sikhs generally don’t smoke as they are prohibited by their religion. Thus taking that into consideration Salman decided not to smoke during the shoot of this film.”

He also informs that though he is a chain smoker, he never smoked when he was in his turban get up. “I remember sometimes he used to spend 10 hours in the same get up but didn’t smoke at all. Salman did it out of respect for the Sikh religion. Apart from his attire, Salman also grew his beard to make his get up look real. His respect for the turban made him stay away from cigarettes.” says Vikas.

Heroes is a story of two boys who start their road trip from Delhi to Chandigarh and then Manali to Ladhakh. It’s about the drastic change in the lives of these two boys. It can be recalled as Heroes were earlier titled as Mera Bharat Mahan. Apart from Salman Khan it also stars Vatsal Sheth, Sunny Deol,Bobby Deol, Mithun Chakraborty, Sohail Khan, Preity Zinta, Dino Morea, Amrita Arora and Riya Sen.

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This is becoming more common...it's becoming a trend in bollywood to have at least 1 punjabi song or refrence to sikhs or punjab...becoming the 'in' thing it seems...too bad nobody as of yet has been able to do anything remotely positive for sikhs...still..there's time...

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No offence to anyone here but why do we get into a strop when someone plays a Sikh in a bollywood movie? especially now they are portraying Sikhs in a 'positive' light..

I mean before when they used to make us the drunks/uneducated/farmers/etc. then you can say "yeah they are taking the biscuit" but now they are actually doing good things..

Salman khan has been known to be a womaniser/smoker and he still respected the sentiments of our religion during shooting so whats so wrong in that?

Sanjay Dutt is making a movie about a historical Sikh battle and before anyone has even seen a trailer, people start talking bakwaas..

Singh is King had a few funny bits which could be seen as offensive but when the hell did we get so uptight? every community can take a bit of a joke, it wasnt like they were disrespecting our Gurus or Bani?! Singh is King actually had a good message and shows how Sikhi changes people for the better..

Yes the Sunny deol movie took the biscuit 'bole so nihaal' but now if they are representing us positively (keshdari with turban AND beard) is there anything wrong in that?

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No offence to anyone here but why do we get into a strop when someone plays a Sikh in a bollywood movie? especially now they are portraying Sikhs in a 'positive' light..

I mean before when they used to make us the drunks/uneducated/farmers/etc. then you can say "yeah they are taking the biscuit" but now they are actually doing good things..

Salman khan has been known to be a womaniser/smoker and he still respected the sentiments of our religion during shooting so whats so wrong in that?

Sanjay Dutt is making a movie about a historical Sikh battle and before anyone has even seen a trailer, people start talking bakwaas..

Singh is King had a few funny bits which could be seen as offensive but when the hell did we get so uptight? every community can take a bit of a joke, it wasnt like they were disrespecting our Gurus or Bani?! Singh is King actually had a good message and shows how Sikhi changes people for the better..

Yes the Sunny deol movie took the biscuit 'bole so nihaal' but now if they are representing us positively (keshdari with turban AND beard) is there anything wrong in that?

To be honest I look around and at myself and know I'm a bigger joke than those funny Sikhs being portrayed in the movies.

But it would be pleasant to see a "serious" Sikh character representation in a bollywood philum for a change.

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No offence to anyone here but why do we get into a strop when someone plays a Sikh in a bollywood movie? especially now they are portraying Sikhs in a 'positive' light..

I mean before when they used to make us the drunks/uneducated/farmers/etc. then you can say "yeah they are taking the biscuit" but now they are actually doing good things..

Salman khan has been known to be a womaniser/smoker and he still respected the sentiments of our religion during shooting so whats so wrong in that?

Sanjay Dutt is making a movie about a historical Sikh battle and before anyone has even seen a trailer, people start talking bakwaas..

Singh is King had a few funny bits which could be seen as offensive but when the hell did we get so uptight? every community can take a bit of a joke, it wasnt like they were disrespecting our Gurus or Bani?! Singh is King actually had a good message and shows how Sikhi changes people for the better..

Yes the Sunny deol movie took the biscuit 'bole so nihaal' but now if they are representing us positively (keshdari with turban AND beard) is there anything wrong in that?

It's not even necessarily the jokes that a lot of us have a problem with...I cant watch singh is king with my bibi because of the songs with half-naked women and 'singhs' dancing with them. also, yeah they wear a dastaar, but to be frank - Akshay Kumar (in SIK) mostly wore a poor version of what looked like a turban but was actually a hat (SO obvious)...i duno why but it made me cringe...

The jokes can be pretty funny cos they usually refer to those AROUND the singhs nowadays, so that's not really the problem...it's just how they are portrayed (if thats the right word)

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*thumbs up*

Fateh Ji,

Recently be it movies ,ads or TV Soaps there have been lots of Sikh roles.

One must keep in mind that Bollywood makes movies for the Box Office and so we must be vigillant that thier Box Office dreams are not nightmares for us.

There is a movie on the famous Saragarhi battle coming up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saragarhi

Hope they don't undermine the bravery and sacrifice of the twenty one Sikhs. And one must keep in mind in those days the 'clip clop' ( Patits) variety were far and few.

Guru Rakha

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Positive representation!!??

In another singh king thread there is a constructive open letter to the producer of singh is king. It speaks honestly of the lack of research and the author is pro-active in getting in touch with the producer of battle of saragarhi in advance. That effort and an open mind is necessary. But is it acceptable to stop there?

Do not be hoodwinked by having a bone thrown your way by bollywood. “Research” has become the buzzword, the escape for what is wrong with singh is king

In America racial segregation based on “separate but equal” was accepted by even blacks! But they did not stop there. It was better than where they were before as slaves. However, in addition to the open mind they had an awake mind and challenged the whole framework in America. Likewise, we need to challenge the very framework of India’s disgusting racism.

Given the effort, resources and funding that go into such a movie, Bollywood is not merely careless in their research. Every subtlety in such a movie is written, reviewed and refined until it is just the way they want it. A make-up person will spend more time on a few strands eyebrow, then they did on the dastar! Outrageous! This is not a high school play. The coordination and effort is massive. Willful blindness is not the same as a mistake.

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (so called akshay) says

“I am playing Happy Singh in the film, which is very close to my heart. I’m a Punjabi and grew up in a Punjabi environment. I did not do much preparation for the role as I am familiar with their style. Playing the character was not at all difficult for me.”

To top that off, he’s from Amritsar!! So did he not once have a mirror in front of him during the months and months of shooting and think even once… “Some of these turbaned guys look like a bit of a mockery of a Sikh”…“my Sikh teacher, neighbor, childhood friend, professor, would find this or this or this…. particular part to be an insulting and hurtful stereotype.

Bollywood is a running ad campaign for the nation as to how people should think (or not think at all). The stereotypical bollywood hatred is India’s “war against phantom evil” and “war against anything that might result in actual free thought. Hatred in political speeches could be challenged, but incorporate that hatred into a bollywood flick and the country eats it up and becomes that hatred.

It simply does not ring true that there are mere “oversights” in this movie. The movie is the usual hate filled anti-sikh agenda (who needs malicious intent, once the machine is in motion, just a little grease will do). It ensures that any inspiring Sikhs around the world, those featured on various sikh websites who are excelling in the mainstream are neutralized.

India’s masses are being fed the usual bollywood diet of communal hatred to which their taste buds have become accustomed. Sikhs in India and abroad on the same diet learn to become what is acceptable to Bollywood, a caricature, void of dignity and self respect.

Bollywood does stay slightly ahead in response to the protest of the mockery and belittling of various groups. It has stayed a step ahead by modernizing the mockery. They have taken on a complimentary mocking bent. For example how wonderfully big-hearted, liberal, dancing, jokester this “Singh” is. How good that suave muslim is who defies the fanatic muslims holding the koran. How good a sikh or muslim is who puts the flag ahead of personal faith or ahead of their evil brethren.

Some of us, suggest we are Sikhs and then act like bollywood’s clown slaves, promoting that kes is not necessary (speaking of respect and understanding, not ones personal circumstance), social drinking is OK, casteism, sexism are OK, etc.

Some of us have become accustomed to being slapped in the face by bollywood. We’ve been taught to be proud of the special style of slap for Sikhs, which causes us to break out into banghra; thankful when they tell us that we can have good attributes as a silly hero while we get slapped.

Singh aka Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia is king… is largely a complete mockery of Sikhs. It is another attack at the Sikh psyche. It is incredible that some of us think we’re being celebrated. Yes, as fun loving unintelligent buffoons. They are laughing AT you!!...and you laugh too thinking “singh is king”. Big-hearted, fun-loving, brave…read between the lines …“thick-headed”.

Shame on bollywood for being a sophisticated high-tech version of the Ku Klux Klan operating manual. Shame on ourselves for being so gullible and lost.

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Positive representation!!??

In another singh king thread there is a constructive open letter to the producer of singh is king. It speaks honestly of the lack of research and the author is pro-active in getting in touch with the producer of battle of saragarhi in advance. That effort and an open mind is necessary. But is it acceptable to stop there?

Do not be hoodwinked by having a bone thrown your way by bollywood. “Research” has become the buzzword, the escape for what is wrong with singh is king

In America racial segregation based on “separate but equal” was accepted by even blacks! But they did not stop there. It was better than where they were before as slaves. However, in addition to the open mind they had an awake mind and challenged the whole framework in America. Likewise, we need to challenge the very framework of India’s disgusting racism.

Given the effort, resources and funding that go into such a movie, Bollywood is not merely careless in their research. Every subtlety in such a movie is written, reviewed and refined until it is just the way they want it. A make-up person will spend more time on a few strands eyebrow, then they did on the dastar! Outrageous! This is not a high school play. The coordination and effort is massive. Willful blindness is not the same as a mistake.

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (so called akshay) says

“I am playing Happy Singh in the film, which is very close to my heart. I’m a Punjabi and grew up in a Punjabi environment. I did not do much preparation for the role as I am familiar with their style. Playing the character was not at all difficult for me.”

To top that off, he’s from Amritsar!! So did he not once have a mirror in front of him during the months and months of shooting and think even once… “Some of these turbaned guys look like a bit of a mockery of a Sikh”…“my Sikh teacher, neighbor, childhood friend, professor, would find this or this or this…. particular part to be an insulting and hurtful stereotype.

Bollywood is a running ad campaign for the nation as to how people should think (or not think at all). The stereotypical bollywood hatred is India’s “war against phantom evil” and “war against anything that might result in actual free thought. Hatred in political speeches could be challenged, but incorporate that hatred into a bollywood flick and the country eats it up and becomes that hatred.

It simply does not ring true that there are mere “oversights” in this movie. The movie is the usual hate filled anti-sikh agenda (who needs malicious intent, once the machine is in motion, just a little grease will do). It ensures that any inspiring Sikhs around the world, those featured on various sikh websites who are excelling in the mainstream are neutralized.

India’s masses are being fed the usual bollywood diet of communal hatred to which their taste buds have become accustomed. Sikhs in India and abroad on the same diet learn to become what is acceptable to Bollywood, a caricature, void of dignity and self respect.

Bollywood does stay slightly ahead in response to the protest of the mockery and belittling of various groups. It has stayed a step ahead by modernizing the mockery. They have taken on a complimentary mocking bent. For example how wonderfully big-hearted, liberal, dancing, jokester this “Singh” is. How good that suave muslim is who defies the fanatic muslims holding the koran. How good a sikh or muslim is who puts the flag ahead of personal faith or ahead of their evil brethren.

Some of us, suggest we are Sikhs and then act like bollywood’s clown slaves, promoting that kes is not necessary (speaking of respect and understanding, not ones personal circumstance), social drinking is OK, casteism, sexism are OK, etc.

Some of us have become accustomed to being slapped in the face by bollywood. We’ve been taught to be proud of the special style of slap for Sikhs, which causes us to break out into banghra; thankful when they tell us that we can have good attributes as a silly hero while we get slapped.

Singh aka Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia is king… is largely a complete mockery of Sikhs. It is another attack at the Sikh psyche. It is incredible that some of us think we’re being celebrated. Yes, as fun loving unintelligent buffoons. They are laughing AT you!!...and you laugh too thinking “singh is king”. Big-hearted, fun-loving, brave…read between the lines …“thick-headed”.

Shame on bollywood for being a sophisticated high-tech version of the Ku Klux Klan operating manual. Shame on ourselves for being so gullible and lost.

I must say what brilliant thesis u have written......u have indeed succeeded in conveying thoughts to the sangat in the right language.

Unfortunately your thoughts happen to be filled with negativity, prejudice, and personal hatred towards anything which is not in accordance with ur limited vision.

I'm nt be anyone's advocate and say that Movie and Media are playing responsible enuf role , but I'm sensible enuf to understand that Bollywood is incapable or irresoponsible to that extent that it will portray stereotype image of anyone and it has not Shied from Displaying COPS and MINISTERS as the prime culprits in India Democracy. How do think that can be explained if all this is part of larger propaganda.

Listen and get this very clear.....Bollywood can and will make anything sellable if it wants to....in the process of making the content like able they will play around with reality more often than not. It has done that while portraying ministers , cops ,muslims, government and the list is endless. So please get rid of this vision which comes from one pair of spectacles and get your perspective right .

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