‘Udta Punjab’ To Release This Friday With ‘A’ Certificate, One Cut

Prior to the final verdict, the CBFC cleared the film with only 13 cuts and an ‘A’ certificate.

The Bombay High Court has cleared Udta Punjab with an ‘A’ certificate and one cut. The film will be released on 17 June.

Anurag Kashyap’s lawyer said the HC directed that the film be released with a revised disclaimer and a cut of the “urination scene”.

The director of Udta Punjab, Abishek Chaubey said:

I’m massively relieved today, looking forward to releasing the film on the scheduled date. I feel gratitude towards the people who have supported me. I wrote this film in 2013. Punjab election was nowhere in my mind. We finished shooting the film almost a year ago. It has absolutely zero political agenda.

The high court told CBFC to “not act like a grandmother and change with the time” and directed them to issue a fresh certification to the film in two days’ time. CBFC’s demand for a stay for the release of the film has been refused by the high court.

The court said that a blanket ban on the film will be interfering with creative freedom.

The high court has maintained that the job of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is to certify and not censor, and the board should do its job as decreed by the constitution.

We have read script in entirety to see if film encourages drugs. We didn’t find anything that questions the sovereignty or integrity of India. Udta Punjab was not made keeping Punjab elections in mind.

Bombay HC

The court also argued that it was entirely up to the makers of the film to choose the setting, pattern and theme of the film. It said that it didn’t find anything in the script that questions India’s integrity through references to Punjab.

Prior to the final verdict on the case, the film was cleared for release by the censor board with 13 cuts and an ‘Adult’ certificate.

Also Read: ‘Udta Punjab’ Passed With an ‘A’ Certificate: CBFC Chief

During the hearing of the case on Friday, the Bombay High Court came down heavily on the Censor Board’s proposed cuts in the movie.

Following are the highlights from their arguments made in Court on Friday:

CBFC to Court

• The words used in the songs are very offensive.
  
• The scenes in the movie, where cuts were proposed, are very vulgar.
  
• The dialogue zameen banjar to aulaad kanjar is abusive.
  
• The word kanjar is offensive and the way it has been used in the film is objectionable.
  
• There is a dog which has been named as Jackie Chan, that too is objectionable.
  

Court to CBFC

• The controversy is giving unnecessary publicity to the film.
  
• Why are you (CBFC) concerned? Multiplex audience are mature enough.
  
• Don’t have objections to the film, but the word kanjar and others used in the movie do not fit.
  
• Whether it is TV or cinema, let the people decide. Everybody has a choice.
  

Also Read:
The Real Reason Why ‘Udta Punjab’ is Actually Ladta Punjab
‘Udta Punjab’ is Not Anti-Punjab, Explains Shyam Benegal
Punjab’s Drug Problem Deserves “Excessive Swearing”, Mr Nihalani