Chandigarh, May 20
The director of the controversial film “Jo Bole So Nihal,” Rahul Rawail, asserts that creativity can’t be restricted.

Asked to comment on the code laid down by the SGPC on the playing of Sikh characters in films, Rawail said he was not in agreement with the viewpoint of the SGPC.” It is their viewpoint and I disagree with it”, said Rawail talking to TNS on the phone from Mumbai today. “Can anyone restrict creativity? No, I believe”, he added.

Regarding the removal of scenes from the film, as sought by an SGPC panel headed by Bibi Jagir Kaur, Rawail said the producer, N.R. Pachisia, had told him that he would go by the decision of the court. “The producer is awaiting the final verdict on the film from the court”, he added.

Rawail said that he had for the first time come across a situation where a demand to change the title of the film had been made. “There have been controversies about certain films earlier also but never a demand to change the titles of such films,” he said.

“Jo Bole So Nihal” had also been released in the international market. Thousands of DVDs and CDs had been distributed. It seemed to be too late to withdraw the film from even the national market.

“We ran the film in cinema houses across the country as a clean chit had been given to it by a committee set up by the Jathedar of Akal Takht. The committee was shown the film and had cleared it”, said Rawail. After the clearance, there should have been no controversy. Moreover, the Censor Board had also cleared it after having a second look.

When told that Mr Ponty Chadha, distributor of the film in the Punjab region, had withdrawn it from cinema houses in Punjab and neighbouring areas, Rawail said that he had also come to know about it. “But we have not got full details of the decision announced by the SGPC panel at its meeting in Chandigarh yesterday”, he said.

Rawail said there was nothing controversial or defamatory in the film. “The film has been produced to entertain people across the board and not to hurt the sentiments of any community or any individual”, asserted Rawail. He said that at the time of the selection of the title of the film, a lot of thought was given to it.