There has been a lot of controversy surrounding ‘Udta Punjab’ as CBFC had demanded around 89 cuts. This matter reached the Bombay High Court which said;
“There shouldn’t be a hue and cry over mature people wanting to see some realistic movies. We should avoid this as responsible people. Present generation wants something more mature. But you say no.”
Yes, Bombay High Court has directed the Censor Board to give justifications with regards to so many ‘cuts’ that were suggested by the Revising Committee.
The court took this decision only after analyzing the legal grounds that were cited by CBFC, for justification of cuts.
7 Questions High Court Asked CBFC!
Question No.1
What is the logic behind deletion of ‘Punjab’ signboard? Is it offensive or provocative?
Question No. 2
How using words such as ‘Punjab Elections’ would affect the integrity and sovereignty of the nation?
Question No. 3
What’s wrong in showing Punjab as a place of drug abuse, if Goa can be shown as one.
Question No.4
The title of the movie consists of the word ‘Punjab’ as it depicts the story of the state and people there. For 1 visual, the entire scene cannot be deleted. Exposing the problem is a ‘DUTY’.
Question No. 5
It is not that nobody has made a reference to this in the past and that the drug menace has not been a subject matter of any celluloid film.
Question No.6
It doesn’t make sense to remove words like ‘MP’ or ‘MLA’. In olden times, there used to movies like ‘Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avatar’.
Question No.7
What is the logic behind the deletion of name of ‘Punjab’ and of 8 cities including ‘Amritsar’, ‘Tarn Taran’ and ‘Chandigarh’, along with words such as ‘Parliament’.
So, Bombay High Court is of the opinion that ‘Punjab’ is an important part of the movie and cannot be removed.
