Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl sue censor board over Udta Punjab

Due opposes the 89 cuts ordered by the Board, wants it to share a copy of its report on the film

Filmmakers Vikas Bahl and Anurag Kashyap have filed a case against the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) for recommmending as many as 89 cuts in their movie Udta Punjab. The film depicts the chronic drug abuse problem that is plaguing the state.

In a petition filed in the Bombay High Court, the duo has opposed the cuts and and have sought to retain the film's title and grant it an 'A' certificate for the movie, that will allow only those over 18 years of age to view it.

Kashyap and Bahl have submitted a plea before the high court, asking it to direct the censor board’s review committee to share a copy of its report on the film.  

Kashyap had, on Tuesday, accused CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani of autocracy for ordering the cuts and seeking to obliterate all references to Punjab from the movie.

Nihalani shot back in a media interview, claiming that the film was riddled with abusive dialogues that debased the state. 

The controversy over the film has even taken a political twist, with the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress slamming the board for its authoritarian approach, and for pandering to the whims of the Centre. It is a charge that Nihalani has denied, claiming that the board was merely doing its job.