Grahan: The Disney+ Hotstar show on 1984 anti-Sikh riots lands in legal trouble

Disney+ Hotstar web series Grahan, which released on June 24, has already landed in legal trouble. The show, inspired by Satya Vyas’ novel Chaurasi, is based on the incidents of the 1984 riots and narrates interlinked tales of two different eras.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has reportedly approached the court as it portrays a Sikh character in an “objectionable manner”, according to a report in India Today. The president of SGPC, Bibi Jagir Kaur, has demanded an immediate ban on the Hotstar Originals show.

On Monday, talking about this in a press conference, Bibi Jagir Kaur said, “A Sikh character has been portrayed in an objectionable manner in a web series called Grahan based on the 1984 Sikh genocide. In the web series, the charge of Sikh genocide is being levelled against a Sikh character, which is highly condemnable and fabricated.”

Bibi Jagir Kaur said that a legal notice has been sent by a witness of the genocide, Nirpreet Kaur, to the show’s producer Ajay G Rai and Disney+ Hotstar president Sunil Ryan.

Furthermore, the SGPC president mentioned, “Through this web series, work is being done to rub salt on the wounds of Sikhs which would hurt the Sikh sentiments. Such films also hurt the communal harmony in society. Therefore, the government should enact strict Information Technology (IT) rules to curb such sensitive and objectionable trends.”

Addressing the controversial matter, Kaur also urged the Government of India to include Sikh representatives in the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The makers of Grahan and the head of Disney+ Hotstar were reportedly warned by the SGPC president that legal actions would be taken if the show is released.

Grahan stars Pavan Malhotra, Zoya Hussain, Anshuman Pushkar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Teekam Joshi with Sahidur Rahman and can be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar.