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"Shabd" Censored Following Sikh Protests

By STAFF
As Saibal Chatterjee clarified in The Hindustan Times, " 'Shabd' has drawn the ire of some Sikhs for using the expression 'Sardar' as a code word meaning a joke."

P.T.I., New Delhi, Feb. 25, 2005

Shabd

Photo: Shabd

The film censor board has issued directions to delete certain scenes in the recently released Hindi film Shabd following complaints from the Sikh community that they were hurting their religious sentiments.

This was communicated to the National Commission for Minorities (N.C.M.) by Sharmila Tagore, chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (C.B.F.C.).

In a letter to N.C.M. chairman Tarlochan Singh, the censor board informed that the necessary deletion of the objectionable scenes have been made by the producer, the commission said in a release here on Friday.

Tagore further said the censor board will take special care in future that such objectionable content is not overlooked.

Sikh organisations had lodged a strong protest claiming the Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai starrer, directed by debutante director Leena Yadav, had certain remarks which were 'ridiculous and offended the Sikh sentiments,' the commission said.