When the board went on to justify all the 13 cuts saying the film was meant for public exhibition, the High Court said the CBFC should only certify a film and not censor it.
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When asked why films highlighting issues like the drug menace in a state had to face opposition from numerous quarters, he said, “The problem is that no one knows what the problem is”.
The movie created a major controversy after it ran into trouble with the CBFC, with officials reportedly demanding 89 cuts in it and the removal of the word “Punjab” from the title.
“CBFC has cleared my film with a “U” certificate”.
Director Rohit Shetty says that the Censor Board has no right to suggest the makers of “Udta Punjab” remove “Punjab” and other words from the film, unless any political party or organisation sends a letter to them conveying their objections. “There is nothing wrong in admiring the Prime Minister”.
On the row, Jaitley said, “I think that we are overstating it because at the end of the day, you have a board which takes a view which may be a little conservative view but then at the appeal tribunal, with an appeal, it can get disposed of”.
A division bench comprising Justice S.C. Dharmadhikari and Justice Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi, which concluded the two-day hearing following a petition filed by the “Udta Punjab” producers, will pronounce its final verdict on Monday.
“‘Udta Punjab’ has been passed with an A certificate (restricted for adult audience)…”
The CBFC has contended that ‘ Udta Punjab’, a drug-themed crime thriller, needed several cuts as it cast the state in a bad light by giving an impression that most people there were addicts.
The I&B ministry had sought to distance itself from the controversy, saying the certification process was independent.
The ministry had earlier formed a committee under filmmaker Shyam Benegal to look at the functioning of the censor board.
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“We have submitted an interim report to the government, the details of which can not be revealed”.
