Nanak Shah Fakir
Written by	Amrit Basra
Produced by	Harinder Sikka Resul Pookutty
Music by	Uttam Singh
Distributed by	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Release date	17 April 2015 (2015-04-17)
Running time	144 minutes
Country	India
Language	Punjabi

Nanak Shah Fakir is a 2015 Indian Punjabi-language biographical film based on the life of Guru Nanak, and produced by Gurbani Media Pvt. Ltd. It was theatrically released on 17 April 2015.

It won the awards for Best Feature Film on National Integration, Best Costume Design and Best Make-up Artist at the 63rd National Film Awards.

The film was mired in controversies with protests from Sikh groups asking for a ban on the film as it was claimed to depict Sikh figures through actors, which they said violated Sikh tenets.

Cast

• Arif Zakaria as Bhai Mardana, narrator
• Puneet Sikka as Bebe Nanaki
• Adil Hussain as Rai Bular Bhatti
• Shraddha Kaul as Mata Tripta
• Anurag Arora as Kalu Mehta

Score

Original score by Tuomas Kantelinen, with music by Uttam Singh and sound design by Resul Pookutty.

Controversy

The supreme Sikh body, Akal Takht announced a ban on the film, as it was claimed to depict Guru Nanak and other prominent Sikh figures (Bebe Nanaki, Bhai Mardana) through human actors, which it said violated Sikh tenets.^{[1][clarification needed]} A related resolution adopted by the SGPC in 2003 had prohibited human actors from playing the roles of Sikh Gurus or their family members.^{[2][clarification needed]}

The Government of Punjab decided against allowing the release of the film. The film producers Resul Pookutty and Gurbani Media also appealed to the Supreme Court of India to allow for the release of the film. The Supreme court cleared the film for release, citing the certification provided by India's Central Board for Film Certification.^[3][4]

Awards

National Film Award

• Best Feature Film on National Integration – Director Sartaj Singh Pannu
• Best Costume Design – Payal Saluja
• Best Make-up Artist – Preetisheel Singh D'Souza and Clover Wootton