Political meddling responsible for drastic cuts to new movie
NAMES of Punjab’s cities, the name of the state itself and a dog named Jacky Chain – these are just a few of the 94 cuts that the Central Board of Film Certification has demanded in the adults-only Udta Punjab.
Udta Punjab’s co-producer Anurag Kashyap tweeted during the week that the suggestions of the board were a 13-point list demanding 94 effective cuts in the film starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh.
The board has asked that names of nine cities including Jashanpura, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Tarantaran, Moga and Ludhiana be deleted from the film, along with a scene in which a signboard says “Punjab”.
The board has also objected to around 20 abusive words including ‘k****’ (b****), chitta ve (slang for drugs) and h****** (b******). They also want the words election, MP, MLA and parliament taken out of the film.
The board, headed by Pahlaj
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Nihalani, also has a problem with a dog being named “Jacky Chain” as it appears to be named after the Hollywood star Jacky Chan. The makers have also been asked to remove “objectionable scenes” from the third song in the movie and to delete close-up shots of people injecting themselves with drugs.
The Central Board of Film Certification has said that a scene showing the hero (Shahid) urinating in front of a crowd needs to be removed and a disclaimer added which reveals “efforts made by the government to tackle drug problem.”
The disclaimer should read, “The film focuses on the rising menace of drugs and the war against drugs and is an attempt to show the ill-effects of drugs on today’s youth and social fabric.
“We acknowledge the battle against drugs being fought by the government and the police. But this battle can’t be won unless the people of India unite.”
These cuts come despite the Central Board of Film Certification giving the film an A certification that technically means the film can only be watched by adults.
With Punjab due for state elections, the controversy has assumed political overtones.
The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which fancies its chances in the northern state, criticised the board.
The two parties also accused Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance of “censoring” the movie. – Hindustan Times