Letter to the Editor, by Harman Singh
Let me make it clear that I am not going to discuss the controversy surrounding dialogues or scenes from Ajay Devgn’s recent release “Son of Sardar”. Because this issue is largely discussed in media and Sikh circles and many would agree that the controversy is almost over.
Film was released and even SGPC gave clean chit to the movie. Advocate Navkiran Singh also expressed satisfaction that ‘objections’ were removed from the Hindi movie, though he termed it as a “sub-standard” movie.
I have watched the movie two days back. There is a child appearance in it. The only “Sardar” boy, Sardar Mantokh Singh (as I could remember the name), who use to tell Ajay Devgn that “Ek tu Sardar, Ek Main Sardar, Baki Sab Bekar” (Except me and you, the Sardars, all others are useless”. Well, this too is not the message I wish to talk about.
What bothered me is that this Sikh child talks a lot about drinking, because his father in the movie is a drunken person. This boy repeatedly talks about drinking.
This could be viewed as a normal affair. One could say that it was just for entertainment but it is now an established fact that entertainment industry is a tool to embed ideas and create or propagate stereotypes, so there is fine base to view it from a conspiracy point of view; But let us leave it too.
A concern that fazed me is that what message these dialogues by that little Sardar in the movie would sent to the society? What would be achieved by it? Was it really necessary to deploy a child character to send such a message, because it would certainly have more impact of persons of tender age who would watch the movie.