Pro-Khalistani group distributes 'Sadda Haq' in Canada

Punjabi film 'Sadda Haq', which revolves around militancy era in Punjab and has been banned by the state government "to maintain communal harmony", is being promoted and distributed in Canada by Canadian Sikh Coalition — a pro-Khalistani organisation. This, when makers of the film have claimed that it is a balanced movie, which does not further any particular ideology or movement.
The Canadian Sikh Coalition, however, is batting for the film not only on its official website but also on its Facebook page where it projects itself as a "political organisation".

On March 1, its official website uploaded a post, which began with: "The Canadian Sikh Coalition is proud to announce that it has formed a partnership with the team behind the film 'Sada (sic) Haq' and will be the official distributor for the film in Canada. The film is a revealing and truthful account of the period of militancy in Punjab that spanned the 1980s and 1990s. It brings forward the conditions of the Punjab and its population and role of the central government in orchestrating what would be a genocidal campaign against the Sikh population."

While criticising the Censor Board ban on the film, the post stated that as per Canadian Sikh Coalition Director Parvkar Singh Dulai, "watching this film brings another element into the struggle for sovereignty within the Sikh community".

It added: "...It is more important than ever for the Sikh community to find creative and diplomatic means to pursue its freedoms and independence from the Indian Union as every aspect of life, including the most basic liberties that are guaranteed to every human being, are at the discretion of discriminatory elitists within the Indian Union. The film "Sada (sic) Haq" will be a strong introduction into what will hopefully become a worldwide educational and informational platform that the Sikh community can use to further their aspirations".

The Coalition also stated in its website: "The Canadian Sikh Coalition asserts the right of Sikhs in Punjab to self-determination and the establishment of a sovereign Punjab state." Its Facebook page also talks about the tremendous response the movie has received and sold out shows abroad.

When contacted, producer, writer and lead actor in the film, Kuljinder Singh Sidhu, claimed that earlier, a contract for film distribution was signed with Canadian Sikh Coalition but it was later "cancelled".

"Our official distributor for the film is Sunny Sidhu. We had signed a contract with Canadian Sikh Coalition earlier when film's co-producer, Dinesh Sood, was looking for distributors in Canada. But Coalition failed to commit the minimum guarantee and Sunny Sidhu was chosen as the distributor for the film," Sidhu said.

He added: "The Canadian Sikh Coalition might be involved in the distribution in some way but that is not in our knowledge. The film does not promote any separatist ideology. We have not said anything even once in the film that sounded pro-Khalistani. None of our team members is pro-Khalistani. The co-producer of the film is a Hindu. I am myself not pro-Khalistani."

Sadda Haq co-producer Dinesh Sood, when contacted, too said that separatist movement had nothing to do with the film.

"We have been praised by even Hindus for the film. The film has got a good response at all the places where it has been released. We are getting information that there have been record collections overseas. There is no Pro-Khalistani angle in the film," Sood said.

"No one was ready to distribute the film initially. A contract was signed with Canadian Sikh Coalition for distribution, as they were keen on it," he added.

Source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/prokhalistani-group-distributes-sadda-haq-in-canada/1101324/0