Meezaan Jafri Breaks Silence On SGPC's Police Complaint Against Yaariyan 2: 'We Have Removed...'

Meezaan Jafri reacted to the police complaint filed by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) against Yaariyan 2 for ‘hurting religious sentiments’. On Saturday, it was reported that the committee had objected to Meezaan allegedly wearing a ‘kirpan’, a symbol of Sikh faith, in the song Saure Ghar from the film. Reacting to the development, Meezaan took to Instagram and issued a statement. He apologised to the committee and revealed that they have removed/replaced the said scene.

“We would like to apologise for any content which has been perceived to be objectionable/inadvertently hurt any religious sentiments in Yaariyan 2 and hereby assure that we have no intent to hurt sentiments of any individual/community in any manner whatsoever,” the statement read.

“We hold the highest respect for all cultures and religious beliefs. We have always strived to create art that entertains and brings people together. However, we reiterate there was no intention to hurt any religious sentiments, to this end, we have replaced and removed from our film the visuals that have unintentionally hurt sentiments,” they added.

“We understand the significance of religious symbols and are committed to ensuring that our work does not inadvertently cause any offense. We appreciate your understanding,” the statement concluded.

On Saturday, SGPC issued a statement on X (previously known as Twitter) and said, “We raise our strong objection to these visuals filmed, published in Saure Ghar song of Yaariyan 2 film directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru @SapruAndRao, as actor is seen wearing Sikh Kakaar (symbol of Sikh faith) ‘kirpan’ in a highly objectionable manner which cannot be accepted.”

“This has seriously hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community across the globe. Only an initiated Sikh has the right to wear ‘kirpan’ as per Sikh Code of Conduct of Akal Takht Sahib and the right given by the Constitution of India,” it added. According to Indian Express, an SGPC spokesperson also claimed that their president Harjinder Singh Dhami has requested the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Information Technology and Electronics, and Central Film Board of Certification to ban the film and its song.

Yaariyan 2 stars Divya Khosla Kumar, Meezaan Jafri and Pearl V Puri in key roles. It will hit theatres on October 20, 2023. The film is said to be the remake of Malayalam film Bangalore Days.