Members of the Sikh community held a peaceful demonstration outside the Village Cinemas’ premises in Melbourne’s western suburb of Sunshine on Sunday.
Nearly 80 protestors gathered outside the multiplex in a bid to prevent the release of the upcoming animated religious movie, ‘Dastaan-e-Miri Piri,’ slated to hit the theatres on Wednesday June 5. 
One of the protestors, who wished to remain anonymous, told SBS Punjabi that Sikh Gurus have been portrayed in human form in the 3D film, which he claimed is ‘against the Sikh tenets.’
A picture of Sikh protesters holding banners outside the Village Cinemas in the western suburb of Sunshine in Melbourne. Source: Supplied
“The film’s makers have made animated depictions of the fifth and the sixth Guru of Sikhs, which is against Sikhism,” a protestor told SBS Punjabi.
“We won’t let them release the movie here in Australia,” he added.
After nearly two hours of standing in protest, the demonstrators agreed to disperse after Victoria police officers arrived at the scene and promised to resolve the matter ‘amicably’.
In response to SBS Punjabi's inquiry, Victoria Police confirmed that "there were no breaches of the peace or arrests made, and the crowd was moved on without incident."
"Police met with protestors and centre management the following day (June 3) to negotiate a peaceful resolution moving forward," the police statement added.
However, the police did not divulge any further details on the outcome of the meeting or about the film's release.
But the protestors told SBS Punjabi that the film will no longer be showcased in Victoria.
“After a consultation, it was decided that the film will not be shown on Village Cinema screens across Victoria.”
Whilst there has been no official confirmation from the police or the Village Cinemas, at the time of writing, the film no longer appeared in the list of upcoming films or the booking page on the film exhibition brand’s website.
According to the promo, the film attempts to showcase the martyrdom of the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Arjan Dev in 1606 and then traverses to the succession of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib, who donned the swords of Miri and Piri representative of temporal and spiritual powers, respectively.
A community representative who doesn’t wish to be named told SBS Punjabi that animation is not the only way to spread awareness about the Sikh history.
“There are many other alternative ways available to spread awareness about Sikhi, which do not require showing Gurus in human or graphic forms,” he contended.
“For instance, the Sikh community in Australia is setting an example through its Gurmukh schools where scriptures are read and taught and hymns are sung. Emphasis should be laid on such methods of teaching.”
Meanwhile, the film has also run into trouble with Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs which has reportedly decided to ban the film, until Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex administrative body reaches a conclusive decision.
SBS Punjabi is awaiting a response from White Hills Studios, the worldwide distributors of the film.
