Earlier last week around 80 members of the Sikh community gathered to protest against a movie at Village cinemas in Melbourne’s western suburb Sunshine.
The group was protesting against the human portrayal of Sikh Guru in the animation movie, Dastan-e-Miri Piri.
“I was not part of the protest but would not like my kids to see such movies which are against the principle of Sikhism,” Mr Singh* told SBS Hindi.
“There is a clear direction that the Sikh guru cannot be portrayed in movies or plays," he said.
Neeraj Nanda, a Melbourne-based senior journalist and editor of South Asia Times newspaper, strongly believes filmmakers must consider religious sentiments while making movies.
“No one can question freedom of expression of a writer, painter, singer or a filmmaker but these people also have a certain responsibility towards religious sentiments," he said.
Ripan Sethi, a member of the Sikh community in Melbourne who also runs a charitable organisation that helps Indian Australian families to settle in a new country feels movies could be a great way to introduce religion to kids.
“We have to move with the time and modern technology, maybe the directions given were that time and now these animation movies can be a great way to explain Sikh religion with limited Punjabi language skills," Mr Sethi said.
“Those who want to see the movie should be allowed and who don’t like should avoid it,” he says.
*Name withheld upon request.
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