There was a sense of calm and relief in the air in the lobby of the Novotel Hotel in Mumbai on Monday evening, just outside the entrance of its poolside bar. Only two hours before this moment, the same area had been buzzing with infectious, nervous energy. PR professionals, Dera Sacha Sauda members, and the odd policeman walked around with purpose as they set up a press conference for the controversial film MSG: Messenger of God. Starring Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the film's release had been delayed owing to protests in Punjab and the mass-walkout of 12 senior members from the Central Board of Film Certification, who refused to certify the film before being overruled by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).

The organisers didn't seem too perturbed as they nonchalantly put some white masking tape on a large cut-out of the film's poster, obscuring the release date which still read 'Jan 16, 2015'. At the back of the room, behind where all the cameras had been set up, was the bar, which had been shuttered down.

A genial, bespectacled man named Aditya 'Insaan' took the mic, explaining how he had joined the Dera in 1991. A doctor by profession (specialising in lasik surgery, amongst other things), he, like everyone else, had been sceptical of 'Guruji' and his sect's various claims of de-addiction and 'miracle cures' back then and was actually in the process of investigating him. "When I realised the good work that the Dera was doing, I became a follower," he said, reeling off a list of achievements including cleanliness drives, de-addiction success stories, and eradicating prostitution ("1500 men have pledged to marry women who were prostitutes," he mentioned, in a tone that underscored how tragic their sacrifice must have been). Youtube Channel Management Powered By Most Reliable You|Tube Partner Network - Nfxshot Network
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