[Reader-list] Celluloid and compact disks in Punjab

[daljit ami]

Historical episode ahistorical names and trivialising history
Religious theme is no exception for the new trend of Compact Disk revolution. The exception is not confined to the fact the religious themes have been tried on new medium but the treatment to these themes in also not exception. An hour long film, Saka-a-Sirhind by TPM is one such film. The film directed by Dilawar Sidhu, a theatre artist turned film director, is based on an episode from the life of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger sons. They were killed by the Nawab of Sirhind when their cook, Gangu, handed them over to Nawab along with their mother Gujri better known as Mata Gujri. The film has dialogues on the pattern as described in my previous dispatches. The long one to one dialogues have no sense of historicity or authenticity. The anchor based film has certain notable points. The anchor dressed in the headgear associated with males or a section of religious sikh females is an attempt to make the narrative masculine whereas this episode revolves around Mata Gujri for her courage, affection and conviction of thought. Her character has been further trivialised in the dialogues where her character loose the feminine grace it is suppose to have. 
Recently a trend has been initiated by a section of sikh fundamentalists where they have appropriated the names of certain historical figures to suit their own ends. The change of Mata Gujri to Gujr Kaur is one such appropriation. The anchor of this film addresses Mata Gujri as Gujr Kaur. Similarly another character is addressed as Anup Kaur. It will be worth writing about the role of Kaur as second name for females. Kaur was similar to Singh for females. It became popular during late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. In this context writing Kaur as second name for those who lived prior to that period is anachronistic and ahistorical. Above all there seems to be fundamentalist design behind such appropriations. The film simply lacks any sense of time. The anchor does not mention about the time and space the whole story is placed in. 
Over acting by the cast (with no exception) and larger than life gestures trivialise history. Two characters are offering prayer in very uncomfortable situation but sitting very comfortably in a quilt. The whole vocabulary is of contemporary sikh religious preachers rather than of the time this particular episode is supposed to represent. The epithets bestowed to characters posthumously by next generations in lieu of the help they lend to younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh have been offered in the film by contemporaries on the condition of help required.
This film has almost all sort of thematic and technical problems. This film can be an example of use of the technology without any justification. The use of crane, track and wide angle lance further vulgarise the content.  
How the audience receive such film can be an interesting variable to understand their perception of the film. The composition of the audience of this film can enable us to understand how this film can be approached by the audience? Is that audience has other options or not seems to be the most important question at the moment.
Daljit Ami
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