Social media burst into celebrations on Monday evening after the Bombay High Court ordered the release of Udta Punjab, a Hindi film based on the drug menace in Punjab, with just one cut.
The film’s makers had approached the court after the Central Board of Film Certification, under chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani, demanded 89 excisions. The CBFC objected to the use of swear words in the film, the name of a dog, among several other things.
On Monday, the court struck down all the objections but asked Udta Punjab’s makers, Phantom Films and Balaji Telefilms, to delete a scene showing actor Shahid Kapoor urinating. It also asked for a modification in one disclaimer in the movie.
The CBFC now has 48 hours to issue a fresh rating certificate to the Abhishek Chaubey-directed film. “Creative freedom should not be unnecessarily curbed,” the court said. “Nobody can dictate to a filmmaker about the content of his film.” Also starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh, Udta Punjab is scheduled to release on June 17.
The court order was welcomed by the film fraternity as a significant success against the Nihalani-headed CBFC.
The ruling gave social media some #MondayMotivation and a chance to burst into a celebratory mode.
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