'Khap' director says his film condemns honour killings and not khap panchayats, even as no Haryana minister wants to watch it and court controversy.
Four days before release, "Khap - A Story of Honour Killing", based on Haryana's khap panchayats, is facing the ire of village heads in Haryana. Khap leaders have approached theHaryana government to ban the film as they feel it shows them in a negative light. They've threatened that they won't allow the film to be screened in theatres, as they feel their portrayal as "bloodthirsty fanatics" is incorrect.
Reacting to the sentiment, the director of the movie, Ajai Sinha, told DT that he was only condemning the act of honour killing through his film, and not the community. Says Sinha, "The movie was inspired by a Times of India headline ("Medieval Justice Just 50km From Delhi"), and after I read it, I started researching the subject."
Interacted with a few people from some khaps too, and did a lot of research on why they were formed, what it was like in the initial days, etc. I also consulted social workers who have been working on the issue in Haryana. It was only after understanding the system that I decided to make the film. So, while the movie is about the khaps and their way of justice through honour killings, it also talks about the positives of the khaps," says Ajai.
The director says he was prepared for some opposition, but not to this extent. In fact, he'd even tried requesting a few political bigwigs in Haryana to watch the movie, but says that no one wants to court any controversy. Ajai adds, "It was two months ago that I heard for the first time that the khaps want the film to be banned. But we know we haven't made anything that maligns anyone. If a teacher beats a boy, and the boy dies, we condemn the act and not the entire teaching community. It portrays the negative acts of the community and their medieval system of justice. But when we contacted some senior politicians in Haryana, no one wanted to see the film. They are concerned about their vote banks and do not want to generate controversy."
The lead actor of the film, Sarrtaj Gill, plays Kush, an MBA student who revolts against the system since he falls in love with a girl from the same khap. Speaking to us about the film, he says, "The movie shows the truth. There's no exaggeration. We've discussed the positives of the khaps too, like we have a character played by Alok Nath who comes to Delhi from a khap and they have funded his education. It also shows how they help farmers, make schools for the farmers' children, etc. We're not attacking the panchayat, but the thinking of the people. We're only hoping to impact their thinking and that they'll change their system of justice."
Four days before release, "Khap - A Story of Honour Killing", based on Haryana's khap panchayats, is facing the ire of village heads in Haryana. Khap leaders have approached theHaryana government to ban the film as they feel it shows them in a negative light. They've threatened that they won't allow the film to be screened in theatres, as they feel their portrayal as "bloodthirsty fanatics" is incorrect.
Reacting to the sentiment, the director of the movie, Ajai Sinha, told DT that he was only condemning the act of honour killing through his film, and not the community. Says Sinha, "The movie was inspired by a Times of India headline ("Medieval Justice Just 50km From Delhi"), and after I read it, I started researching the subject."
Interacted with a few people from some khaps too, and did a lot of research on why they were formed, what it was like in the initial days, etc. I also consulted social workers who have been working on the issue in Haryana. It was only after understanding the system that I decided to make the film. So, while the movie is about the khaps and their way of justice through honour killings, it also talks about the positives of the khaps," says Ajai.
The director says he was prepared for some opposition, but not to this extent. In fact, he'd even tried requesting a few political bigwigs in Haryana to watch the movie, but says that no one wants to court any controversy. Ajai adds, "It was two months ago that I heard for the first time that the khaps want the film to be banned. But we know we haven't made anything that maligns anyone. If a teacher beats a boy, and the boy dies, we condemn the act and not the entire teaching community. It portrays the negative acts of the community and their medieval system of justice. But when we contacted some senior politicians in Haryana, no one wanted to see the film. They are concerned about their vote banks and do not want to generate controversy."
The lead actor of the film, Sarrtaj Gill, plays Kush, an MBA student who revolts against the system since he falls in love with a girl from the same khap. Speaking to us about the film, he says, "The movie shows the truth. There's no exaggeration. We've discussed the positives of the khaps too, like we have a character played by Alok Nath who comes to Delhi from a khap and they have funded his education. It also shows how they help farmers, make schools for the farmers' children, etc. We're not attacking the panchayat, but the thinking of the people. We're only hoping to impact their thinking and that they'll change their system of justice."
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