NEW DELHI: What's common to actors Ranbir Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar? All have recently played a Sikh hero in a Bollywood film.
Indeed, there's a profusion of Sikh characters in leading roles: the honest salesman in Rocket Singh, the love-smitten student Veer Singh in Love Aaj Kal (2009), the formidable army officer Balkar Singh in Heroes (2008) and the bumbling villager Happy Singh in Singh is Kinng (2008). Even Jackie Shroff played a gentle farmer Dayal Singh in Sohail Khan's Kisaan (2009).
Over the decade many films have depicted Sikh characters in leading roles. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) and Jo Bole So Nihaal (2005) are some such films. What's new is that today's Sikh hero has acquired a mellow, romantic shade as evident in films like Love Aaj Kal and Rocket Singh. Social scientist Shiv Vishwanathan points out that young Sikhs in recent films are shown as playing "non-military characters" unlike what was frequently projected in earlier ones. "Today's Sikh protagonist in Hindi film has broken the stereotype," he says.
Director Imtiaz Ali's films, Jab We Met (2007) and Love Aaj Kal, had plenty of Sikh characters. He narrates an interesting story behind his decision to do so. "I come from Jamshedpur and there is a sardar in my close group of friends. Whenever we would think of going to a movie, he would say, "What's the point? It's not as if by watching films I can get into the industry. Sardars don't make it in films." That got me wondering why a sardar can't be a hero?" says Ali on phone from Jamshedpur.
His desire to have Sikhs in leading roles grew stronger after watching Sunny Deol as Major Kuldeep Singh in J P Dutta's Border (1997), and a patriotic Tara Singh in Anil Sharma's Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001). "While Border established that a lead actor can be a Sikh, Gadar went on to shatter any other bias," says Ali. He adds, "I think Sikh heroes is a great trend. Why can't a handsome sardar be a hero? We should move beyond the clichi of chocolate heroes and look around our neighbourhood for real characters."
Agrees writer Jaideep Sahni, who fleshed out Rocket Singh's character and claims to be naturally disinclined towards the 6'2" kind of hunk imagery. "If one has a choice that doesn't go against the story's concept, then as film-makers we owe it to the audience to give them variety," says Sahni.
Sahni also feels the Hindi film industry restricts a filmmaker into a 'language jail'. "We normally can't cast a lead character from a Telugu, Tamil or North-East zone. My desire to break out of this 'jail' inspired Rocket Singh's character," says Sahni.
Film historian Firoze Rangoonwalla has a theory behind the recent rise of the Sikh protagonist. He says that the urban, multiplex films had hitherto alienated the cinema-going middle-class audience of north Indian heartland. "To target them producers have turned their focus on characters who look and speak like them. So we have Yash Chopra and Karan Johar often introducing Punjabi characters. This is a business-oriented action taken to cater to the ethos of that territory," he says.
Nonetheless, the profusion of Sikh heroes is in stark contrast to the Bollywood of 1960s and 1970s when a hero had to be clean-shaven and fair. The Sikh was consigned and confined to character roles. "It was assumed that a turbaned Sikh with a beard didn't have pan-India mass appeal. Also, they were viewed as representatives of a particular community with a distinct style of speaking," says Rangoonwalla citing examples of Dharmendra in Tarachand Barjatya's Jeevan Mrityu (1970) and Prem Nath in Manmohan Desai's Desh Premee (1982). "At best, a sardar played a good friend to the hero or was relegated to being a side character/comedian," he says.
Such a portrayal continued down the decades until Govind Nihalini's Vijeta (1982), where hero Kunal Kapoor played Sikh Air Force pilot Angad. Now the abundance of Sikh characters as regular heroes underlines the growing maturity of Bollywood as well as its audience.
with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/For-Bollywood-heroes-its-cool-to-be-a-Sikh/articleshow/5376357.cms
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Friday, December 25, 2009
In Harimandir Sahib on April 30, 1877 at 4.30
In Harimandir Sahib on April 30, 1877 at 4.30 in the morning, a strange thing happened. There were about four hundred devotees enjoying spiritual peace of celestial music in Harimandir Sahib when suddenly a flash of lighting was seen which in the form of a big resplendence entered through the door on the mountain-side and exploded exactly like a ball in front of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and illuminating everything went out, becoming a streak of light through the southern door--though at the time of its exploding there was a dreadful and forceful sound, no harm of any kind occurred to any devotee sitting inside and no harm to the building or anything else in the precinct. All the people described this supernatural scene as the wonderful doing of Sri Guru Ram Das himself" (translation based on one in Strange but True in Sikhism by SS Kohli p.11)
Sikhnet / Maple Leaf
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Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sikh matrimonial - latest profiles
Supreet singh, Toronto, Canada
Please view the latest matrimonial profiles on Sikh web portal www.sohnijodi.com. Please add your matrimonial profiles for the wider coverage on www.sohnijodi.com.
Young Boy Missing From Union City, CA Since Saturday
Union City, CA: Jagmeet Sidhu, a 25 Year old male, has been missing since December 19th, 2009 from his home town Union City, CA. Jagmeet is 6 feet tall, has medium built and black hair. When last seen, he was wearing a yellow sweat shirt, black pants, a white t-shirt and a black belt. He was last seen driving his blue 1997 Acura Integra in the San Mateo, CA region. The vehicle has been found abandoned on the 92 San Mateo Bridge at an emergency pit stop.
As per the information, Jagmeet was on his way home from a friend’s place and was talking on the phone with another friend when he said that his car did not sound right and he would pull over to check it out and call the friend back. However, no one heard from Jagmeet after that. His cell phone, keys and wallet were found in the car.
UNITED SIKHS, CA Director, Kashmir Singh, was contacted by the family to get the community involved in the matter. While commenting on the current situation, Kashmir Singh stated, “It is a very tough time for the family and we would like to call upon all our fellow community members to help and support in Jagmeet’s search. Nothing can be ruled out at this stage, we hope that the Police is considering all possibilities.
The Union City Police and the National Center for Missing Adults are already working to find Jagmeet. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has not been involved yet. The Department of Justice Community Relations Service and Congressman Stark have been apprised of the case. A joint letter from national South Asian Advocacy Organizations is going to be issued to the Union City Police Department offering complete community support along with a suggestion to involve FBI at the earliest in order to expedite the matters.
Issued by:
Jatinder Singh
Director
646 315 3909, 510 299 7982
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009
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Royal Award bestowed on highest ranking Sikh policewoman in the West Midlands
The highest ranking West Midlands Sikh policewoman, Shindo Kaur Barquer, has received a prestigious Royal Award.
She has been honoured with the ‘The Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal’ which was instituted under the Royal Warrant by King George VI in 1951 and is awarded as a mark of the Sovereign’s appreciation of long and meritorious service rendered by members of the Police Forces of the United Kingdom.
Chief Inspector Barquer has been Head of Resilience in the Operations Headquarters since April 2009; her responsibility includes ensuring West Midlands Police are able to respond effectively to the threats that face the organisation, along with those of the communities of West Midlands.
Under her supervision as Chief Inspector her leadership has enabled her team to establish close engagement with partner agencies
Joining the West Midlands Police Force at the age of 21, she progressively worked her way up the ranks, a journey that has been challenging but rewarding for this British Sikh born in West Bromwich
Chief Inspector Barquer and has remained in the West Midlands, settling with her husband, Vijith Randeniya Chief Fire Officer of West Midlands Fire Service in
Birmingham.
Chief Inspector Barquer spoke to us about her award, she said:
“I feel really proud to receive such recognition for my contribution to policing’
“It was a fabulous awards ceremony; I had the chance to meet with some new recruits- it really took me back in time to 1987 when I joined’
“A career with the police service provides a real opportunity to service; to get involved in local community issues and I’m proud to have served all my service with West Midlands Police” said the proud and deserving award winner Chief Inspector Barquer
Chief Inspector Barquer is an active member of the West Midlands Local Resilience Forum; this includes partnership involvement at every phase ‘planning, preparing and responding’ to any major incidents.
This policewoman is passionate about her success and her future and says “the challenge is to keep making a positive contribution to local policing’.
‘I like to aim high but to remain focused and to believe in myself. My career aspiration is to take command of a local policing unit as the Chief Superintendent and to make a real difference to the local community that my family and I am part of’.
The attestation of new recruits and the presentation of Long Service & Good conduct medals took place at WMP Lord Knights Suite police Sports & Conference Centre on Thursday 10th December 2009
Award ceremony attended by Chief Constable Mr Chris Sims and Bishop Derek Webley Chairman of the Police Authority.
with thanks : source : www.emgonline.co.uk
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