The HC verdict, he added, has vindicated everybody who stood by the makers of the movie as it reflected the harsh reality of Punjab. However, to acquire the clearance certificate, the Udta Punjab team went through quite a struggle which emerged as a landmark one in the history of cinema.
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Jimmy Sheirgill further added, “I don’t want to say something right now and after watching the film, I regret that I shouldn’t have said something like that”.
Makers of the film, Phantom Films, had challenged some of the CBFC’s suggested cuts in the High Court, which included deleting references to Punjab, two graphically vulgar scenes and toning down an expletive-laden script. Well, though the Censor Board is said to have suggested 13 cuts in a recent news, it is only a matter of time and chronology.
The film got mired in controversy when talks emerged that BJP-appointed CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani acted under political pressure to ask for cuts in the film.
One of the major points that were brought against the filmmakers of Udta Punjab and the film itself is that the movie promotes and instigates drug abuse.
The Bombay High Court said filmmakers should be allowed to choose the backdrop for movies, ruling that the CBFC’s “exercise of power should not violate the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression”.
Creative freedom should not be unnecessarily curbed and nobody can dictate to a filmmaker about the content of his film.
The court is expected to rule later Monday on the appeal challenging the cuts and changes as a condition for the film’s release.
“Udta Punjab” delves on the festering issue of drugs in Punjab.
HC also rapped the CBFC for “censoring” and not “certifying”.
The movie Udta Punjab Censor clearance was in controversy for a few days.
“Udta Punjab” is scheduled to hit screens across the country on June 17.
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The scene that the high court has ordered deletion from the film that shows main protagonist Tommy urinating in front of the crowd.
