Dear Censor Board, Why Clip Udta Punjab’s Wings?

What’s the real reason behind the 40 cuts in Udta Punjab?

CBFC dudes, please... you gotta tell us what you guys are smoking up? ’Cuz it’s crazy sh*t! I mean, that’s the only way you could justify the 40 cuts in Udta Punjab for excessive use of ‘explicit language’ and drug consumption.

We understand that you are on a Swachh ‘Bollywood’ Abhiyan. It’s your mission to baptise Bollywood into ‘Sanskaarihood’ and make it ‘pure and pious’. But for our CBFC-wallas, the innocence of Mowgli, the wrath of Angry Indian Goddesses, and the doped-out Tommy, Pammi and Ronny of Punjab are the offensive ingredients that could shake the moral structure of our film industry.

But sir, does CBFC follow any working guideline on the basis of which films are censored?

F**k NO!

Mastizaade passed the ‘sikka hilla’ test for the CBFC. The board didn’t seem to go bananas over Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 either. In fact, both the films were released on their due dates with minimum chop-chop and maximum pompoms.

Bechara James Bond’s steamy kisses were edited out from Spectre, whereas Sunny Leone enjoyed her One Night Stand – we mean the film – was released without any cuts.                                                

Then why clip the wings of Udta Punjab? Is it simply that it has “excessive swearing, abusive language and drug consumption”? Or does it have something to do with politics, in the state that will see elections held next year?

Sir. We, the people, are pretty comfortable with “excessive swearing, abusive language and drug consumption.”

Have you never wondered about the amount of abusive language used on social media? Or the fact that Indians are crazy about Breaking Bad – one of the most critically-acclaimed American TV series? Even the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, announced that he wished to remake the hit series in India. Or what about Game of Thrones, that uses profanity to greater effect than any other show?

Dear Pahlaj Nihalani and Co., filmmaking is an art, a form of expression, which needs to be shared with others. But you wouldn’t know. You, unfortunately, support political propaganda over freedom of expression.

Because here’s the thing: Udta Punjab’s trailer was cleared by CBFC without any cuts. Read: WITHOUT any cuts.

In fact, the Censor Board’s decision to propose 40 cuts, came a week after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had expressed their strong objections to the trailer – they considered the film to ‘defame’ Punjab and its youth.

Such is life!

We hope that Udta Punjab manages to fly high to a cloud with a silver lining. Till then, it’s back to the dark, dark world of censorship, ruled by the political czars.