Cinematic Promotion Of Love Jihad

Glorifying interfaith marriages both on and off-screen, the hindi film industry and the celebrities associated with it have continuously hoodwinked the audience with severely distorted scripts

- Sharmi Adhikary

When Anil Sharma’s period romantic drama, Gadar—Ek Prem Katha released in the summer of 2001, its thundering commercial success was marred by heavy protests by Muslim extremist groups who took offence when Sunny Deol’s character of Tara Singh, in an impulsive moment, declared, Lo, ab ho gayi Sikhni! as he smeared his blood on the hair parting of Amisha Patel’s character Sakina, an aristocratic Muslim, to save her from a Sikh lynch mob during a Partition frenzy. This pivotal scene in the film, loosely based on the Partition-era love tragedy of a Sikh called Boota Singh, had courted severe flak from Islamic radicals from across the country, particularly in cities such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bhopal with a history of religious strife. Sporadic incidents of violence and arson interrupted shows in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar where Muslims and Hindus came to blows before the police dispersed mobs.

In Sangam theatre, groups of Muslims had hurled petrol pouches on the screen before setting it ablaze. On June 25, 2001, in Bhopal, a mob of 400, led by Arif Masood, the then president of the district Youth Congress, used petrol bombs, swords, rods and stones to attack a cinema hall screening the movie. A police constable was grievously injured and dozens received minor wounds.