Udta Punjab: Court slams 'Sanskari' Censor, passes only one cut

The Bombay High Court today knocked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the cuts it ordered in the film 'Udta Punjab', saying ‘mere references, signboards of Punjab does not affect sovereignty and integrity of India.’

 

A Division Bench of Justices SC Dharmadhikari and Shalini Phansalkar Joshi heard the plea filed by Udta Punjab's makers against the 89 cuts suggested by the CBFC in the movie.

 

The movie is a look into how youth in Punjab have succumbed to drugs. Lawyer Ameet Naik representing Udta Pubjab team said, "It is the freedom of creative artists to offend and they should be allowed to offend."

 

The Court commented, "Creative freedom envisages presentation and choice of words. Hence, the attempt is not to discourage the making of films. The board has to ensure drugs not glamorised."

 

The movie courted a major controversy after it ran into trouble with the Censor Board, with officials reportedly demanding 89 cuts in it and the removal of the word 'Punjab' from the title.

 

Addressing the same, Bombay High Court said that the board must exercise its powers regularly in consonance with legal guarantees of freedom of speech.

 

The judge stated, "The title contains the word Punjab, so there is no need to delete scene of a sign board showing Punjab."

 

And also added "Observing that adults would not be tempted to use ‘foul language’ simply because they heard it in the movie, the court permitted the film to hit theatres with all the ‘cuss words’ in place."

 

The court also returned to the CBFC’s demand to delete visual of a Sardar 'scratching’ his sides, aiming out that the scene does not show the community in bad light.

 

Another cut required by the board was removing the sentence, 'Jamin banzar te aulad kanjar'. Bombay HC observed that it does not suggest anything about the state and added, "Punjab is a land of warriors, they are not that sensitive."

 

But, the court maintained that the sequence where Shahid Kapoor’s character Tommy Singh urinates in front of a mob could be done away with as there was "enough material for the filmmakers to drive home their point even without this scene."

 

'Udta Punjab' stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh. The court has directed CBFC to issue the certificate in two days.

 

Director Abhishek Chaubey, who was quite elated with the decision said, "Massively relieved today, looking to release the film on the scheduled date."