A major controversy has erupted over Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Haider' after a migrant Kashmiri Pandit group staged protest demonstrations in Jammu for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Hindus by portraying the ancient Sun Temple of Kashmir as "Devil's Den" in the Bismil song.
Activists of All Parties Migrants Co-ordination Committee (APMCC), the apex body of Kashmiri migrant Pandits, took to streets in Jammu condemning Vishal Bhardwaj for alleged "conspiracy to denigrate the 1700-year-old Hindu temple".
The activists torched the posters of Haider, Censor Board and Archaeological Survey of India to register their protest.
"The temple built in 370 AD has huge historic and religious significance as it was one of the two sun temples that exist in India with the other one in Konark. This was the temple that was facing West which attains greater significance according to Hindu scriptures," said King Bharati, national spokesperson of APMCC.
APMCC has sought immediate ban on the film and unconditional apology from the producer, director of the film as well as Censor Board of India and Archaeological Survey of India for clearing the movie
"The leaders will issue a legal notice to the producer of the film, CBFC and ASI seeking legal action and damages for defaming ancient Hindu temple and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus," he said.
Bharati said APMCC had organised a grand Hawan at the temple premises in October 2, 2009 after many years. "By allowing shooting of a film inside the temple and depicting it as Den of the Devil is intolerable. APMCC demands immediate deletion of the song from the film or re-shooting the entire sequence," he said.
The APMCC also asked Hindu organisations of the world to rise to the occasion and stop the alleged cultural and religious aggression of the filmmaker." They won't tolerate incursion into religious affairs under the garb of artistic freedom," Bharati said
Even as Kashmiri Pandits protested against the song in Jammu, Kashmiris are thronging the CD and DVD parlours for the copy of film since no cinemas are functional in the valley given the 24 year old militant ban. "Every client of mine is inquiring when will be DVD or CD of the Haider out. I am getting at least 100 calls per day about the film," said Firdous Ahmad, owner of Oscar, one of the biggest CD/DVD parlours in Srinagar.
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