Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a ban on the film Shooter which is based on the life and crimes of notorious gangster Sukha Kahlwan. Hours after the film was banned, Punjab Police registered a case against producer-cum-promoter KV Singh Dhillon and others for allegedly pomoting violence, heinous crimes, extortion, threats and criminal intimidation. According to the FIR, the film is likely to instigate youngsters to take up arms, and disturb peace and harmony.
The Chief Minister also directed DGP Dinkar Gupta to look into a possible action against Dhillon who had reportedly promised in writing that he will shelve the film originally titled Sukha Khalwan in 2019. The DGP had also been asked to look into the role of the promoters, directors and actors of the movie. According to an official spokesperson, Singh has made it clear that the government will not allow any movies and songs that sought to promote crime, violence, drugs and gangsterism, which flourished during the Akali regime under the patronage of SAD leaders. Any such productions or compositions would be dealt with severely, the Chief Minister said.
The Amarinder government has come a long way in three years to restore law and order, which had hit a new low under the previous SAD-BJP regime. The Chief Minister had directed the police to ensure that nothing was allowed to disturb state's peace and communal harmony. The DGP said the matter of banning the movie was discussed with the Chief Minister on Friday. It also took up a proposal from DGP Intelligence Varinder Kumar to ban the movie, whose trailer, released on January 18, suggested that it was highly radical.
To prevent its bad impact, "it would be appropriate if the release and screening of the movie be banned," the ADGP had stated in a letter to Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs and Justice. The producer had given a commitment after the Mohali police received a complaint that the movie glorified gangster Kahlwan, who described himself as "sharpshooter" and was allegedly involved in more than 20 heinous crimes. He was shot dead by gangster Vicky Gounder and his accomplices on January 22, 2015, when he was being brought to Patiala Jail after a court hearing in Jalandhar.
In his letter, Dhillon had written to the SSP Mohali "since you are of the opinion that the content of the film may hurt law and order, I am discontinuing the project." But the producers went ahead with the film, scheduled for release on February 21 under the new title with a new name for its protagonist, according to the DGP. The ban on the movie comes within 10 days of the Mansa Police registering a case against Punjabi singers Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu or Sidhu Moose Wala and Mankirat Aulakh for propagating violence and crime through a video clip uploaded on social media.The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the DGPs of Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh to ensure that no songs were played glorifying liquor, drugs and violence. The District Magistrates and the SSPs of each district would be personally responsible for strict compliance of these directions, it added.
Watch the trailer here:
(Source: IANS/YouTube)
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