Udta Punjab' film makers move Bom HC against Censor Board

Producers of drug-themed Bollywood film "Udta Punjab" today told the Bombay High Court that they had got a copy of the order passed by the Revising Committee of the Censor Board and wanted to study it to decide whether to challenge the changes suggested by it.
Phantom Films, which produced the film, had earlier in the day moved the court seeking a copy of the order passed by the Revising Committee suggesting cuts in the movie and removal of reference to Punjab in it.
However, during the hearing, they informed a division bench headed by Justice S C Dharmadhikari that they wanted to amend the petition as they had just got a copy of the order.

The order was passed on June 6, in which 13 changes were suggested by the revising committee of the Censor Board.
The producers informed that they would study the changes suggested by the Committee and decide whether to challenge them. In that case, they would like to amend the petition.
Accordingly, the court granted time to Phantom Films, a company floated by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, to amend the petition and posted the matter for hearing tomorrow.

The court also asked the Censor Board to place before it the records of this case tomorrow.
Another issue which cropped up during the hearing was whether the aggrieved filmmakers can move the high court directly without approaching the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal in accordance with the rules of Cinematograph Act.

Counsel for the film producer, Ravi Kadam, argued that the Chairman of the Tribunal was out of town and therefore not available till June 14. As the film was slated for release on June 17, they had moved the High Court.
The Revising Committee had recently viewed film "Udta
Punjab" and suggested 13 changes to be made by the filmmakers besides removing the reference to Punjab in the film.
According to the committee, the changes were suggested as the film was not in conformity with Cinematograph Act.
Outside the court, the lawyers of the film production company said "we had asked for a 'A' certificate and said the film does not portray anyone in bad light."

The Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh-starrer movie that delves into how the youth in Punjab have succumbed to drugs has also unleashed political sparring prompting Kashyap to ask parties to stay away from the censorship row.
Punjab goes to assembly polls next year.
Kashyap had hit out at Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, calling him "oligarch" and "dictator" and that it was like living in North Korea.
He got the support of several filmmakers, including Karan Johar, Mahesh Bhatt, Ram Gopal Varma and Mukesh Bhatt.
"It is a dark day for freedom of expression and creativity in the country," Mukesh Bhatt said, calling Nihalani a "stooge" of the government.

The "Bombay Velvet" director took to Twitter to vent his ire at Censor Board and said there is no sense of freedom.
"I always wondered what it felt like to live in North Korea... Ab to plane pakadney ki bhi zaroorat nahin...," Kashyap had posted on Twitter.
"I request Congress, AAP and other political parties to stay out of my battle. It's my Rights vs the Censorship. I speak only on my behalf," he said.
AAP and Congress had earlier accused Punjab's ruling SAD-BJP alliance of exercising its influence to "censor" the movie, a charge denied by the state government.