‘Zero’ makers on “kirpan” controversy

‘Zero’ has not yet evaded its legal troubles over a petition claiming that scenes of the film have hurt religious sentiments, despite the team’s insistence that the issue at hand is based on a misunderstanding.

The petition filed by advocate Amritpal Singh Khalsa addresses the sword carried by Shah Rukh Khan in the trailer and one of the film’s posters, which resembles a kirpan. According to the petition, Khan carrying a kirpan hurts Sikh sentiments, as it is a culturally important symbol of the religion.

However, senior counsel Narvoze Serwai, who represents the team of ‘Zero’, told the court that the claims in the petition are based on an erroneous assumption. “What the lead actor is wearing is not a kirpan. It is an ordinary sword.”, Hindustan Times reported.

Since the CBFC certification is still pending for the film, the court has now decided to defer the case until 18th December, requesting the censor board to examine the allegations in question during their assessment. “Let the CBFC examine and carry out scrutiny in the light of the points raised in the petition. We refrain from making any remarks at this stage,” Justice B P Dharmadhikari said.

‘Zero’ is scheduled to release on 21st December.