AMN
Film industry has reacted sharply after the Censor Board purportedly raised certain objections regarding references to Punjab in the film “Udta Punjab”. Filmmakers including Karan Johar and Mahesh Bhatt said UdtaPunjab speaks of the reality of our times and censoring reality amounts to delusion. They said the fraternity has to stand by what’s right!!
Sudhir Mishra, who has had his share of run-ins with the board, tweeted, “No film should be censored. Only be certified.” National award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who faced opposition from the board before the release of his last film “Aligarh”, said the row surrounding “Udta Punjab” has made him angry. Whereas Mahesh Bhatt said that censorship is similar to ignorance.
Anurag Kashyap twitted that there is no film more honest than Udta Punjab and any person or party opposing it is actually guilty of promoting drugs. Whereas Karan Johar said that Udta Punjab speaks of the reality of our times and censoring reality amounts to delusion. He said the fraternity has to stand by what’s right.
As per reports, release of this forthcoming Hindi film has been stalled by India’s censor board, asking the makers of the film to remove all references to Punjab, politics and elections. More to add, it also told to make over 80 cuts.
The film cast includes prominent Bollywood actors such as Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Alia Bhatt. The censorship is reportedly linked to political factors, especially opposition from Punjab’s ruling political party Akali Dal and the fact that the state is holding elections in 2017. Udta Punjab is expected to release on June 17th.