Monty Panesar urges for boycott of the film 'Laal Singh Chaddha' for its portrayal of Sikhs

• Image Credit: Google

• Aug 12, 2022 | Dhupali Das

The film was directed by Advait Chandan, written by Atul Kulkarni, and produced by Aamir Khan Productions and Viacom18 Studios...

Digital Desk: Former England spinner Monty Panesar has harshly slammed the Bollywood film 'Laal Singh Chaddha,' starring Aamir Khan, for its portrayal of the lead character, who is a Sikh. Panesar termed the film "disrespectful" and "disgraceful" to the Indian Armed Forces, Indian Army, and Sikhs.

The film is a remake of the 1994 Hollywood film "Forrest Gump," which portrays the life of a low-IQ man who manages to join the US Army and ultimately ends up in American history books. Panesar argued that the Hollywood film made sense since low-IQ males were being recruited by the US Army to fill requirements for the Vietnam War. However, he disagreed with the plot of the Bollywood film due to its inaccurate portrayal of a Sikh.

Panesar took it to Twitter to express what he thought about the movie, Laal Singh Chaddha: "Forrest Gump fits in the US Army because the US was recruiting low IQ men to meet requirements for the Vietnam War. This movie is a total disgrace to India Armed Forces Indian Army and Sikhs !! Disrespectful. Disgraceful. #BoycottLalSinghChadda."

The film was directed by Advait Chandan, written by Atul Kulkarni, and produced by Aamir Khan Productions and Viacom18 Studios. It was released on Thursday, August 11). Kareena Kapoor, Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, Mona Singh, and Manav Vij are among the other prominent actors that will appear in the film. 

After the main shooting began in October 2019, the film was shot in over 100 locations across India. The Covid-19 epidemic caused multiple shooting delays when it was first announced that the movie would be released between 2020 and 2022.

Meanwhile, Panesar played for England between March 2006 to December 2013. He made his international debut against India in Nagpur. He is of Punjabi descent, and his father, Paramjit Singh, is a real estate developer. In 1979, his family moved to Luton, England, from Punjab. Panesar played for England in 50 Tests, 26 ODIs, and one T20I, taking 193 international wickets.