The #UdtaPunjab vs CBFC controversy has escalated, makers of the movie have moved Bombay High Court against Censor Board seeking a copy of the order of the CBFC Review Committee report on their film.
June 17 release date of the highly anticipated Shahid Kapoor film seems uncertain considering that they don't have a censor certificate yet. According to reports, the Board's Revising Committee has asked for a staggering 89 cuts in the film(many of them pertain to abusive language and drug use) and asked to drop references to'Punjab' in the film.
In an Economic Times interview, CBFC Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani maintained that the film "cannot be cleared the way it is" in view of the fact that the entire state and its people are portrayed "in a bad light" which is in violates the section of Cinematograph Act. He further stated: "There is no pressure on us. They can go to the tribunal or court now. Our only concern is the entire movie is completely based on Punjab. All the characters are negative. It will hurt the whole community."
However, the makers of the film Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd, producer Madhu Mantena and Anurag Kashyap-Vikramaditya Motwane-Vikas Bahl's Phantom Films, claim that RC hasn't issued a letter of edits which can be used as a "grievance" to appeal to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, a statutory body that resolves disputes between filmmakers and the Board. Sources close to the makers believe that it is CBFC's deliberate attempt to stall the release of the film so that the makers get disheartened and accept the RC's decision.
All things considered, the Udta Punjab filmmakers seem to be headed in the right direction with escalating the matter to court. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Nihalani's own son Chirag, who is a creative producer at Balaji, has been requesting his father to release the letter demanding the cuts. But the CBFC has been holding back, leading to delays due to which the production house is facing a loss of approximately Rs.1 crore a day.
