''Nanak Shah Fakir'' is a 2015 Indian

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

-language

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

based on the life of

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

, and produced by Gurbani Media Pvt. Ltd. It was theatrically released on 17 April 2015. It won the awards for

Best Feature Film on National Integration The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration was one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one ...

, Best Costume Design and Best Make-up Artist at the

63rd National Film Awards The 63rd National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016 ...

.Director Sartaj Singh Pannu The film was mired in controversies with protests from Sikh groups asking for a ban on the film as it was claimed to depict Sikh figures through actors, which they said violated Sikh tenets.

Cast

Arif Zakaria Arif Zakaria (born 11 November 1966) is an Indian actor. He has had roles in many films, beginning with his debut film '' Darmiyaan'' (1997), '' 1947: Earth'' (1998), ''Dance Like a Man'' (2004), and biographical projects '' Mardana'' and the co ...

Bhai Mardana Bhai Mardana (; 1459 — 1534) was one of the first Sikhs and longtime companion of Guru Nanak Dev, first in the line of gurus noted in Sikhism. Bhai Mardana was a Muslim by-birth who would accompany Guru Nanak Dev on his journeys and became on ...

, narrator * Puneet Sikka as

Bebe Nanaki Bebe Nanaki (, ; ), alternative spelt as Bibi Nanaki, was the elder sister of Guru Nanak, the founder and first ''Guru'' of Sikhism. Nanaki is an important figure in Sikhism, and is known as the first '' Gursikh''. She was the first to realiz ...

Adil Hussain Khandkar Mohammad Adil Hussain (; born 5 October 1963) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in several Indian independent and mainstream film productions, as well as international cinema, in films such as '' The Reluctant Fundamentali ...

Rai Bular Bhatti Rai Bular Bhatti (died c. 1515 or 1518) was a Muslim Rajput feudal lord of the Bhatti clan during the latter half of the 15th century. Biography He inherited the position as ''zamindar'' of Talwandi from his father Rai Bhoi. Although a Mu ...

* Shraddha Kaul as

Mata Tripta Mata Tripta (1446–1522; Punjabi: ਮਾਤਾ ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤਾ; ''mātā tripatā'') was the mother of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Biography Early life Tripta was born in 1446 to a father named Bhai Raam, a Jhangar Khatri ...

* Anurag Arora as

Kalu Mehta Mehta Kalu, formally Kalyan Chand, (1440–1522) was the father of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Names Various names are used to refer to Guru Nanak's father, some of which are: 'Mehta Kalu', 'Kalu Rai', 'Kalu Chand', 'Kalian Rai', and ...

Score

The original score was by

Tuomas Kantelinen Tuomas Kantelinen (born 22 September 1969 in Kankaanpää) is a Finnish composer. He studied composition at the Sibelius Academy with Eero Hämeenniemi. He is best known for his scores for films such as '' Rukajärven tie'', '' Äideistä parhain'' ...

, with music by Uttam Singh and sound design by Resul Pookutty.

Controversy

The supreme Sikh body,

Akal Takht The Akal Takht (; ), also spelt as Akal Takhat and historically known as Akal Bunga, is the most prominent of the Takht (Sikhism), five takhts (Seat (legal entity), seats of authority) of the Sikhs. Located within the Golden Temple, Darbar Sah ...

announced a ban on the film, as it was claimed to depict Guru Nanak and other prominent Sikh figures (Bebe Nanaki, Bhai Mardana) through human actors, which it said violated Sikh tenets. A related resolution adopted by the

SGPC The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee) is an organization in India responsible for the management of ''gurdwaras'', Sikh places of worship, in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and t ...

in 2003 had prohibited human actors from playing the roles of Sikh Gurus or their family members. The Government of Punjab decided against allowing the release of the film. The film producers

Resul Pookutty Resul Pookutty (born 30 May 1971) is an Indian film sound designer, sound editor and audio mixer. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp, for ''Slumdog Millionaire''. Pookutty has worked in Hind ...

and Gurbani Media also appealed to the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...

to allow for the release of the film. The Supreme court cleared the film for release, citing the certification provided by India's Central Board for Film Certification.

Awards

* Best Costume Design – Payal Saluja * Best Make-up Artist – Preetisheel Singh D'Souza and Clover Wootton

References

External links

*
Nanak Shah Fakir-- A Film, A Journey
''The Citizen''. {{Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration 2015 films Films about Sikhism Indian biographical films Cultural depictions of Sikh gurus Punjabi-language Indian films 2010s Punjabi-language films 2010s biographical films Guru Nanak Dev Religious controversies in film Religious controversies in India Best Film on National Integration National Film Award winners Films that won the National Film Award for Best Make-up Best Make-up National Film Award winners Film censorship in India Censored films Sikhism-related controversies Biographical films about religious leaders 2015 controversies