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‘Flying Jatt’ crew in Amritsar for promotion, keeps SGPC guessing on cuts
Superhero movie starring Tiger Shroff and Jacqueline Fernandez due for Friday release; SGPC wanted certain changes
It’s unclear if the makers of Bollywood movie ‘Flying Jatt’ deleted the scenes that Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) objected to, but lead actors Tiger Shroff and Jacqueline Fernandez landed in Amritsar on Saturday to begin a promotional tour before the August 25 release.
The actors and the crew paid obeisance at the Golden Temple, where they said nothing about the controversy or the deleting of any content. The SGPC doesn’t know if the changes were carried out. “I got a call from the unit saying it would meet me when it came to Darbar Sahib but nobody did,” SGPC additional secretary Diljit Singh Bedi said.
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the SGPC film committee had reviewed ‘Flying Jatt’ and conveyed its reservations to Balaji Motion Pictures. “They promised to delete the scenes but haven’t confirmed it till date. If the content is not modified, then they’ll be responsible for the consequences.”
In the movie, Tiger Shroff plays a Sikh who turns into a superhero and dons a blue bodysuit along with a cape and a mask. SGPC additional secretary Diljit Singh Bedi said the committee’s objection was to Tiger’s turban and ‘khanda’ (Sikh military emblem) on his outfit. After it came to Makkar’s notice last November, the SGPC president wrote to the filmmakers in December.
About the objections given in writing to the filmmakers, Bedi said: “The khanda on the superhero’s outfit didn’t look authentic. Amrita Singh, who plays Tiger’s mother, is shown drinking, which is inappropriate portrayal of a Sikh wife or mother. A few scenes twisted the Sikh identity and ethos.”
Actors avoided even the media mostly but Shroff did say he was “sure the character (of Flying Jatt) will not hurt anyone’s sentiments”. “We are glorifying Punjabis, not showing them in a bad light.” On July 21, the SGPC had given a warning to the producers.
~ The ‘khanda’ (Sikh military emblem) on the superhero’s outfit doesn’t look authentic
~ Amrita Singh, who plays Tiger’s mother, a Sikh, is shown drinking
~ A few scenes twist Sikh identity, claims the SGPC
