Making Films on Sikhism

A modern way of popularizing Sikh identity is making films on and about Sikhs. A number of persons have made such films, wherein the Sikh way of living has been depicted highlighting their religious beliefs, service activities and the unique identity which distinguishes them from others. Harpreet Kaur, living in USA made a documentary ‘We are Sikhs’, which was shown at numerous Film Festivals. Angad Singh is another young Sikh filmmaker, whose ‘One Light’ became an instrument to share the message of peace and ‘Roots and Wings’ proved an educational tool in many schools of America for creating a dialogue around the question “What does it meant to be an American in today’s multicultural society ?” The other filmmakers include S. Jagjeet Jai Singh Sohal, S. Sartaj Singh Dhami, S. Surjeet Singh Pahwa, Valarie Kaur, S. Hardeep Singh, S. Satdeep Singh and S. Sukhvinder Singh. S. Hardeep Singh, member of SGPC from Mohali has also been associated with filmmaking. As the founder President of ‘Sunehri Virsa’, he has directed the movies like ‘Amar Khalsa’, ‘Dharam Di Chadar’ and ‘Shaheedan De Sirtaj’. So far S. Satdeep Singh is concerned, he is the Director of a number of movies made by Dr. Rupinder Singh of Ludhiana under his banner Shane-Khalsa Production.

Shan-e-Khalsa Production

Shan-e-Khalsa Production based at Ludhiana has made a number movies in Punjabi for promoting the Sikh values and teachings of the Masters. Whereas, they have given ‘Proud to be a Sikh’ in two parts, ‘Nagara’ another Punjabi movie was also produced under this banner. Dr. Rupinder Singh had also written the story of this movie. Their forthcoming movies includes ‘Proud to be a Sikh’ part three and ‘London Sikhs’. This production house can be contacted as per the details that follow. 35 GRD Enclave, Dhandra Road, Ludhiana 141013, Phones: 9988090049, 999956607, Email : shanekhalsaproductions@gmail.com.

Vismaad

Vismaad is a name synonymous with Sikh Animation. Brainchild of Sukhwinder Singh who realized the power of animation in connecting younger generations to Sikh history, Vismaad embarked on an eventful journey in July 2004 which would change the course of how Sikh history is propagated to masses.

Starting with “Sahibzadey : A Saga of Valor & Sacrifice” in 2005 the 5 animated movies created over next 12 years have featured fascinating factual heroes of Sikh history. Inspirational characters come to life in charming animation which acts as a portal to transport the viewer back through time. Listening to the sublime sound of devotional Kirtan as history unfolds instills the viewer with love for Sikhi values and principles. Watching and witnessing the sacrifice of saintly Sikh soldiers standing steadfast in their struggle against the tyrannical rule of Mughal overlords who ravished the people of Punjab gives us the courage to uphold human values in our daily lives. Experience Sikh history in unforgettable animation with these top DVD animated movies by Vismaad.

Vismaad has distinguished and made a mark in the community by being the only banner to produce following 5 animated movies which have become a part of every Sikh home where parents wish their kids to well rooted in Sikhi. The same are :
Sahibzadey: A Saga of Valor & Sacrifice (2005), Banda Singh Bahadar (2006), Sundri: The Brave Kaur (2008), Bhai Taru Singh: True Saint. Fearless Soldier (2010) and Bhai Subeg Singh Shahbaz Singh (2012). In 2017, Bhai Taru Singh movie was released worldwide in official CGI remake.
Apart from feature films Vismaad has also presented the worldwide Sikh community it’s first edutainment portal www.SikhVille.org. It enables Sikh parents to connect young kids in an interactive way with Sikh culture, values, Gurmukhi and Punjabi Culture. The virtual world of SikhVille is continuously updated with newer & engaging games, movies, cartoon series and learning exercises. The contact details of the organization are, address: C-174, Industrial Area Phase 8B Mohali, India 160055 and contact number is 01725091888.

Sarkar Khalsa Foundation

Among the production houses on Sikh films in foreign countries, Sarkar Khalsa Foundation is quite prominent. This Foundation was created by U.K. based historian and documentary maker Bobby Singh Bansal with a view to preserve and restore derelict Sikh monuments in Pakistan. This organization through the efforts of its creator, has been able to restore the Samadhi of Maharaja Sher Singh in Lahore in collaboration with departments of archaeology and Anglo-Sikh Memorials at Rasulnagar near the Chenab River in 2010. Bobby’s efforts to enlighten the people about Sikh heritage have resulted into the writing of book, “The Remnants of Sikh Empire”, which was also made a documentary. This book and documentary talk about Sikh Monuments in Pakistan and India. The writer says that most of these Monuments which have either been demolished or are near ruin. Some monuments mentioned in the book have never been seen as they are located near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where the access was restricted, but the Pakistani army gave to me free access to those areas,” said Bobby, whose short film ‘The Sikhs of Kabul – A Forgotten Community’ won numerous awards at several international film festivals. Bobby’s another short film is ‘Road to Mandalay – The Burmese Sikhs’. Bobby was also instrumental in getting Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s bust to be installed at France’s St Tropez in 2016. Another Sikh scholar from Singapore, S. Amardeep Singh, who has written two books on lost Sikh heritage in Pakistan, is also making a documentary film on Sikh heritage shortly.

Feature Films regarding Sikhism

In the earlier years, it was very rare that some Sikh character was shown in a Hindi feature film. But, when some films were made on war fare where in the bravery of Indian soldiers were to be shown, some Sikh characters were introduced. These films included films like Vijeta, Haqeeqat, and at a later stage ‘Border’, in which the battle of Longewal during Indo-Pak war was the subject and Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri, the Sikh character was the hero of the battle as well as the movie. This character was played by Sunny Deol. Except such like characters, the Sikhs were just shown as jokers or associates of some comedy characters. When it was realized that such a caricature was hurting the sentiments of Sikh community, the trend gradually changed and now a number of films have been made showing the Sikh character in better roles. Even Hindi movies have been made of the life stories of legendry Sikhs like Milkha Singh (Bhag Milkha Bhag) and Sandeep Singh, hockey player (Soorma). So far Punjabi movies are concerned, the success of ‘Nanak Naam Jahaj Hai’ had led to making of a number of films on religious subjects. These included ‘Sarbansdani’ based on an episode relating to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. S. Kuljeet Singh Malhotra from Bollywood Industry, gave us a beautiful film ‘Khalsa Mero Roop Hai Khas’. His forthcoming film ‘Mitti Da Bawa’’ is also based on a religious subject promoting the teachings of Sikh religion. When ‘Char Sahibzade’ (made by Harry Baweja) was made in two parts, the people appreciated but our authorities did not give encouragement to the film producers which was required. Recently, both Punjabi filmmakers as well Hindi filmmakers in India have been attracted to the subject of Sikh valour in various battles including those fought during World War, and films have been made on this subject. The films like ‘Rang Root’ and ‘Subedar Joginder Singh’ made in Punjabi have highlighted the Sikh role in World Wars. A number of movies including feature films are being made on the famous battle of Saragarhi, the most imminent to be released is ‘Kesari’. S. Manmeet Singh is generally seen in short films giving some message based upon Sikh teachings. He informed that he writes the script and acts, but the films are made by Ek Onkar T.V. Channel.

Sikh Film Festivals

The filmmakers feel encouraged if they are appreciated and honoured for their efforts. For the purpose of appreciation, many organisations have come up to hold film festivals wherein important films are screened and on the basis of the popularity of the films and the quality of the content and technical aspects the filmmakers are awarded. ‘The Widow Colony’ of Harpreet Kaur was the first film to be shown not only at public places and schools, but also at U.K.’s Parliament. She makes her films under the banner Sach Productions. The contact details of this production house are address 8079, High Castle Road, Ellicott City, MD21043, Phone : 2105075111, Email : info@sachproductions.org. Angad Singh Films, ‘Roots and Wings’ and ‘One Light’ have been screened in various film festivals. Similarly, Surjeet Singh Pahwa’s ‘Ibadat’ was selected for IFFSA 2016. His another film ‘BONJOUR JI’ (a French title) also became very popular and won several awards. He is making another film now on Sikh coins. Valarie Kaur’s films depicting social events are known for their impact. Her film ‘In Memoriam’ made on the mass shooting at a Sikh Gurdwara in Wisconsin shows her ability to portray the Sikh feeling on such tragic occasion.

Although, a number of organisations have organised and are continuing to organise film festivals for the films related to Sikh religion, the four festivals need a special mention. The first of such festivals is organised by the Sikh Art and Cultural Foundation of USA.

The Sikh Art and Cultural Foundation

This organisation was born out of the original Sikh Organisation of New York (SONY) which had come into being in 2001 to represent Sikh social and political interest in the Greater New York area. This original organisation had started hosting Annual Sikh Festivals, the first of which was organised in 2004. During the first Sikh festival the films focussed on Sikh issues and culture were screened and discussed. The second festival on the same line was organised in 2005 in collaboration with International Punjabi Society, Hofstra University (these two were collaborators in the first festival also) and the Sikh Collation. Corporate sponsors included Air India, Atlantic Bank of New York, CIT, Citibank, Marriott and New York Life. The high level of interest and attendance at these two film festivals gave birth to the idea of a cultural organization to create awareness of and pride in the diversity, culture and history of the Sikhs, as well as the contribution of Sikhs in American society. Thus, the Sikh Art & Film Foundation was formed in 2006, with its two-fold mission:

To promote awareness, appreciation of, and pride in the diversity of the Sikh people.
To strengthen Sikh identity through increasing knowledge of Sikh history and culture.

In addition to Film Festival this organisation has also been organising Sikh Art Exhibition. The first of which was held from September 16, 2006 to January 2007. Along with the Film Festival, they have also been organising Leadership Summits since 2011. In this Summit globally recognise persons in different fields are invited as motivational speakers and for interaction with the Sikhs. They also instituted the Annual Heritage Award Gala. In 2018, their Leadership Summit and Film Festival were organised on 16th November at Paley Centre, 25 W 52nd St, New York, NY. The Foundation’s team has many prominent Sikhs like S. Trilochan Singh, S. Sant Singh Chatwal, S. Narinder Singh Kapany and its patrons. S. Tejinder Singh Bindra and S. Mandeep Singh Sobti are its President and Senior Vice President. The three Chairman looking after the main functions are Dr. Amritpal Singh Johar (Film Festival), S. Ravinder Singh Arora (Leadership Summit) and S. Harmeet Singh Bharara (Heritage Gala). The contact details of this organisation are, address 525 7th Avenue, Suite 2302, New York, NY 10018, Fax. : 212-768-1858, Email : info@sikharts.com.

Sikh Film Festival in Toronto

Toronto in Canada is very famous for various activities associated with Punjabis Sikhs in Particular. Whereas, Sikh Foundation of Canada organises various initiatives like Gala, exhibitions, lecture series, Sikh studies, an International Sikh Film Festival is also organised by them. In this Film Festival various films dealing with issues and themes of particular interest to the Sikh community are screened. Toronto also hosts Punjabi International Sikh Film Festival, which was held for the first time in May 2012 when Punjabi feature films, documentaries and short films were screened. Punjabi films as well as Sikh religion related films are also screened in International Sikh Festival of South-Asian films, which is considered as the largest South-Asian Film Festival in North America. The 7th such Film Festival was organised April 2018 at Pearson, Brampton. Sikh Film Festival are also organised by Sikhlens and Sikhnet. Whereas Sikhlens has organised 16 Film Festivals so far, the film festival organised by Sikhnet in 2018 was their 20th Film Festival. In all these festivals, the film shown celebrates the rich heritage, tradition and culture of Sikhs and the immigrant experiences. They include a mix of documentaries, short and feature films.

To conclude the discussion on the various efforts being made by the Sikhs for familiarizing the people about their religion and identity, it can be said that all these efforts will prove very useful, but it will take time. The Sikhs will have to continue making such efforts and convincing the people about their values and when the world will realize their true self, they will definitely win their hearts and shall be accepted as an integral part of the society in which they are living.

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