‘Udta Punjab’ row: Bombay High Court reminds CBFC its job is to certify films, not censor them
The bench had earlier said the ‘hue and cry’ surrounding the movie was giving it unnecessary publicity.
The Bombay High Court on Friday reminded the censor board that its job was to certify films and not censor them, while hearing a plea filed by the makers of upcoming Bollywood film Udta Punjab against the Central Board of Film Certification. The bench also responded to the CBFC's demand for vulgar words and scenes to be deleted from the movie. On Thursday, it had said the "hue and cry" was giving unnecessary publicity to the film, The Indian Express reported.
The court also added that the board should let audiences decide for themselves what they want to watch and whether the film was actually defaming the state. Udta Punjab makers agreed to cut one scene where the character played by actor Shahid Kapoor is seen urinating in front of people in the song Chitta Ve. The court adjourned the hearing for Monday and will pass the order on June 13, ANI reported.
Earlier, the Revising Committee of the CBFC had asked the makers of the film, which explores substance abuse in India, to remove all references to Punjab from the movie except for in the title. It had suggested 89 cuts, including expletives and visuals of drug abuse, among others. However, nothing was given to producers in writing. This prompted Phantom Films, one of the producers of the movie, to move the court on June 8. The film was scheduled for release on June 17.