Bombay High Court’s verdict out; ‘Udta Punjab’ to release with one cut

The wait is over! Bombay High Court’s verdict on Abhishek Chaubey’s ‘Udta Punjab’ is out. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had asked for 89 cuts in the film, along with some major changes in the film. The makers moved to the High Court protesting the Censor Board’s decision and the verdict of the court on the same is as follows.

The film that extensively deals with the issue of drug abuse in Punjab has promised to be a hard-hitting and realistic flick time and again, with its trailer, behind-the-scene videos and songs. However, it invited controversies from several corners too as many found the content defaming for the state of Punjab. Several political colours poked in as Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani accused producer Anurag Kashyap of taking money from Aam Aadmi Party for making the film. Akali Dal Shiromani, the ruling party of Punjab, had problems with the content too. The Censor Board, at the same time, asked the mentors to drop all references of Punjab from the film, including the title.

From what it looked like, these all were efforts to suppress the reality of drug abuse in Punjab. All of this gave rise to wide outrage. From eminent filmmakers, actors to common movie buffs, everyone came in support of ‘Udta Punjab’ on social media.

Quite dramatically, yesterday, the film was passed by the Censor Board with an ‘A’ certificate. It is to be noted that the makers always opted for an ‘A’ certificate only, even before all the dispute began. The Bombay High Court, today, overruled the CBFC recommended 13 cuts to ‘Udta Punjab’ and cleared the film for release with one cut and three disclaimers by the makers of the film.

‘Udta Punjab’ stars Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh in leads and will release on June 17.

Also Read: CBFC GIVES ‘UDTA PUNJAB’ AN ‘A’ CERTIFICATE WITH 13 CUTS

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.