3D animation/cartoon movie Chaar Sahibzaades :- Stout Sardars walk out slowly, fighting tears. Punjabi women — young and elderly — have water streaming down the eyes. The teenagers are wide-eyed…
This scene is playing out daily at city theatres for the last several days. All of them have just watched the 3D animation ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’, which depicts the sacrifice of the four sons of the last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in the Battle of Chamkaur against Wazir Khan, a vassal of Aurungzeb.
In Kolkata, Inox is still running a show at Forum, Elgin Road, while block bookings have kept the multiplex authorities busy at Hind, Quest, Swabhumi and South City. PVR had a two-week run with the film and are open to screen it on demand. Single screen theatres like Menoka had earlier been block-booked. Single-screen theatres are playing to a full house in places like Hooghly and Barrackpore while Inox is running it at Liluah, Burdwan and Siliguri.
Surjeet Singh, a management student, recalled how he had grown up trying to visualize the Battle of Chamkaur. “It has left an indelible mark in my mind. Many of my friends feel the same. When we finally had the visual experience, it made us even more interested in the Sikh past. I think it’s time I revisit the history pages,” he said.
Amrita Kaur, a CA from Bhowanipore, described how emotional the experience had been for her. “All of us were in tears. The young princes were no less than superheroes. I’m ready to watch it again and again.”
Surinder Singh of Surinder films is one of the major backers of the film. “Our religion prohibits anyone playing the role of the Guru. That’s why it is in animation. The producers have been brave to do this. It’s a rare movie on Sikh history and a well-made one. I had tears in my eyes,” he told TOI.
So while Surjit Singh Batra and Tejender Singh Walia of the Bara Sikh Sangat sat riveted, youngsters like Amanbir Singh Makhni, an event manager and Class-XII student Meherpreet Kaur Soni compared their childhood history lessons and had flashbacks.
Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, the general secretary of Behala Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, was instrumental in the film’s release. He said: “Our heroes lived for real, fought for real and had no super powers except for unflinching courage and devotion”.
Subhasis Ganguli, Inox regional director, said: “When we had a sellout week, we had a proper release. Then the block bookings started.”
Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR Pictures, said: “Kolkata being a hub of intellect was open to the film and we received a great response.”