Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) has cancelled the membership of the now jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and his aide Honeypreet Kaur. This move effectively bars them from making any movies in the future, said its president Ashoke Pandit.
“Ram Rahim cannot work in the Indian film and television industry anymore. His membership has been cancelled by the IFTDA. The decision was taken yesterday (Friday) evening,” Pandit told IANS over phone from Mumbai on Saturday.
The Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPAA) is also said to be contemplating terminating Ram Rahim’s membership. This can happen as early as September 4th, Pandit said.
“We are organisations of creative and dignified people. We can’t have a goon or criminal amongst us. The law has taken a hard stand on him and considering how many people died in Haryana due to his manipulation…,” he said while explaining the reason of Ram Rahim’s ouster from IFTDA.
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Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment by a CBI special court on August 28 for the rape of two female disciples.
He set out on a film career with the 2015 film MSG: The Messenger, following it up with MSG-2 The Messenger and MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart, Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab: MSG Lion Heart and Jattu Engineer. Ram Rahim acted in all these films. He also claimed to have written and directed the projects. Honeypreet, whom the Dera website describes as his daughter, also co-directed some of these projects.