Despite an angry reaction from fundamentalist Sikhs in Punjab over the newly released Bollywood production, Singh is Kinng, the film is drawing crowds in the Sikh-dominated Indian province.

I saw the film at a cinema hall in Jalandhar, the centrally located district of Punjab. Of the large number of Sikhs who came to watch the film, nobody protested. Rather, most viewers applauded or laughed at hilarious scenes and dialogues. After all, it’s a comedy.

In Canada too, a negligible number of fundamentalists were upset at the film, with some demanding a change of the name. In Punjab, several hotheaded Sikhs brandished swords and stormed a cinema hall in Amritsar. They objected to the caricaturing of Sikhs in the film and showing them engaging in "obscene acts."

The story revolves around a Sikh man from Punjab who goes to Australia to bring back his village buddy, who is involved in organized crime. In the end, he succeeds in transforming his gang mates into good human beings.

Since the film was cleared by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, a religious body of Sikhs, ordinary people did not take notice of the protests.

Akshay Kumar, the hero of the film, said Sikh leaders were consulted in order to balance the religious sensitivities of the community.

Although Singh is Kinng is not a great film, the producers have tried to portray Sikhs in a positive light.

The hero of the film is a turbaned Sikh, whereas most Hindi films have been portraying turbaned Sikhs as caricatures. To some extent, Singh is Kinng has done the same, but being a non-serious film, it hardly matters.

Nevertheless, Bollywood cannot escape from criticism for caricaturing and stereotyping not only Sikhs, but also south Indians, Gujaratis, Bengalis and other ethnic groups. Even the Punjabi entertainment industry does the same to non-Sikhs and glorifies Sikh peasantry, while ridiculing others.

The entertainment media should try to be more inclusive and culturally sensitive. But this does not justify any act of violence by Taliban-like reactionaries, who have no sense of humour.