'Khap' takes a critical loook at honour killings: Om Puri

Veteran actor Om Puri, who plays an orthodox village head in upcoming film 'Khap', says the movie deals with the problem of honour killings that are making the headlines in the capital.

Veteran actor Om Puri, who plays an orthodox village head in upcoming film 'Khap', says the movie deals with the problem of honour killings that are making the headlines in the capital.

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The national award-winning actor said that killing of young couples in the name of "honour" was a heinous crime and should be stopped immediately. "We have been listening about Khap for sometime now. Innocent children are being killed because they marry against their elders wish. Nobody has the right to take law in their hands and kill people," Puri, who was in New Delhi to promote the film, told reporters.

Talking about his role in the movie, Puri said, "I am playing a character of a panchayat's Sarpanch who initially shares the beliefs of Khap Panchayat and undergoes change towards the end of the movie." Directed by Ajay Sinha of TV serial 'Astitva' fame, the film, starring Puri, Mohnish Bahl, Uvika Choudhary and Sarrtaj, hits theatres by July end.

The 59-year-old actor, who is known for his work in parallel cinema with films like 'Ardh Satya', 'Gandhi' and 'Mrityudand', said he does not agree with the 'gotra' concept. "We all are humans. From where has the gotra concept come? Honour killing should be condemned by everyone," Puri added.

Sinha said he decided to make a film after he read a newspaper report. "I had read about this issue three years back in a national daily and decided to make a film based on the subject. The movie is a combination of fiction and facts which will create awareness among people," Sinha, best known for TV shows like 'Haasratein', 'Astitva' and 'Ghar Ek Sapna' said.

The director said he did a lot of research before starting the project, which is a fictional story inspired by several incidents of honour killings due to same-gotra marriages. "We did a lot of research in the areas where these incidents are prevalent. I have interwoven the social evil into a love story. It is about a modern couple caught by the khap for marrying despite the same lineage. Even the name of the place where my story is set in is hypothetical," he added.