There's no 'Udta Goa', Goa MP cautions film makers

Exaggerated depiction of Goa in movies as a hub for drug addiction could end up projecting the coastal state as 'Udta Goa', Congress MP Shantaram Naik told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

"Goa should not become 'Udta Goa'. Some Hindi movies have depicted Goa in exaggerated form by depicting imaginary stories... The issue has to be seen with a balanced approach between freedom of expression and freedom of to depict the drugs use prevailing in the society," Naik said with an obvious reference to the Shahid Kapoor-starrer film "Udta Punjab" which focuses on the issue of drug addiction in Punjab.

The Goa MP also said that worries about the improper projection of Goa in cinema were also raised when the Hindi movie 'Dum Maro Dum', which dealt with the controversial drug mafia issue in Goa, was released a few years back.

"When Hindi movie 'Dum Maro Dum' was about to be released, we made a personal representation to the then Union Information and Broadcasting Minister. She expressed her helplessness with the Film Certification Board as the provision of revisional powers vested in the Government were struck down by the Supreme Court," Naik said.

"Law enforcement agencies also find themselves in an embarrassing situation as children beg them not to disclose to the parents about their drug addiction," Naik further said.

--IANS

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