The drug-themed film Udta Punjab will be released with just one cut, the Bombay high court ruled on Monday, asking the censor board to “stop acting like a grandmother” in a case that has sparked a debate on creative freedom.
The ruling overturned a controversial suggestion by the censor board seeking 13 cuts to the movie which it had deemed offensive to people’s sensibilities and a threat to the country’s integrity.
Besides asking the producers to delete a scene which shows the lead character, a drug-addicted rock star played by Shahid Kapoor, urinating in public, the court also ordered modification of a disclaimer by deleting a reference to Pakistan.
“Do not act like a grandmother. Change as per the times now,” a bench of SC Dharmadhikari and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi said in its order, which was hailed by the film fraternity as a “landmark judgment”.
“The CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) cannot stop creative people abruptly as it may discourage them. This will kill creativity. These days filmmakers are brutal, direct and straightforward. One need not treat them harshly just because of this.”
Set against the backdrop of the northern state that goes to the polls early next year, the film has also triggered a political row with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing Punjab’s ruling BJP-Shiromani Akali Dali (SAD) of influencing the board’s decision.
The film is scheduled to be released on June 17.
