The Hindu : New Delhi News : Akshay puts controversies to rest

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New Delhi

Akshay puts controversies to rest

Staff Reporter

Settles issue with Sikh leaders over his latest Bollywood movie

— Photo: V. Sudershan

CAUGHT IN A ROW: Actor Akshay Kumar on his way to attend a meeting at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj in New Delhi on Thursday .

NEW DELHI: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar called on Sikh leaders at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj here on Thursday to put at rest all controversies surrounding his latest film, “Singh is Kinng”.

Accompanied by film producer Vipul Shah, the actor politely put forward his case before Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna and other leaders. The meeting came hot on the heels of a demand by the DSGMC for a ban on the film. It had even written to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit not to allow screening of the film in Delhi.

Coming out of the closed-door meeting, Akshay said the film had not made any disparaging comment about the Sikh community. “We have made the film with a positive frame of mind and now hope that it would be accepted positively by all sections of society. ‘Singh is Kinng’ has been made to highlight the greatness of the Sikh community. We wanted to show that Sikhs are strong and loving people.”

“We came here, explained ourselves and apologised. It is always good to satisfy everyone. The problem was mainly with the beard but now the film has been given a clean chit by the committee,” said Akshay.

Assuring that all the apprehensions surrounding the film had been allayed, Mr. Sarna said: “We had objected to the fact that Akshay, who portrayed the character of a Sikh gentleman in the film, had been shown as a person who had got his beard trimmed. This is forbidden in our religion.

“But Akshay has apologised and promised that he would make a film on a traditional Sikh youth in which he himself would play the role of the protagonist.”

Former DSGMC president Harvinder Singh Sarna said the Bollywood action hero clarified that the film was made only to entertain the audience and not poke fun at any person or community.

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