Udta Punjab: Anurag Kashyap thanks judiciary, B-town welcomes verdict

Co-producer Anurag Kashyap, who was at the forefront of the fight, simply tweeted, “I believe” after the verdict came out. The filmmaker thanked the high court for giving its verdict in the favour of the film.

The 43-year-old ‘Bombay Velvet’ helmer, who was vocal in his criticism of censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, also thanked his fans for supporting the team. “Thank you to the honourable Judge, thank you all for the faith and support.. Time to get back to work.. Two back to back releases,” Kashyap tweeted.

The High Court on Monday cleared the release of ‘Udta Punjab’, but directed the filmmakers to delete a urination scene from the movie and opt for a revised disclaimer. The court said that it did not find anything in the film’s script that shows the state in bad light or affects the sovereignty or integrity of India as claimed by the CBFC.

The court also said that the CBFC was not empowered by law to censor films, as the word censor is not included in the Cinematograph Act. “The hard work of the lawyers has paid. I am pleased 

with the verdict. I hope films will be viewed in context and there won’t be a blanket on cinema,” said the film’s director Abhishek Chaubey. 

He added: “I salute the courage of my producer and the hard work that my lawyers have put. Now, the film has been passed and we are going to fight for the release on June 17. I am terribly pleased with the verdict and relieved.”  “A judgement for the whole film industry not just us, its awesome,” said co-producer Madhu Mantena Verma. 

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who plays an addict rapper in the film, also hailed it as a “landmark judgement”. “Landmark judgement. Udta Punjab will fly and so will the voice of freedom and expression. Thank you all for the support. This is your victory,” he tweeted.

Alia Bhatt, who also stars in the film, tweeted, “And finally Udta Punjab will flyyyyy!! Here’s to freedom of expression, to our judiciary, to the industry, to the media and to you all!!.” 

The film, based on the drug problem in Punjab, has been in news since the board had asked the makers to edit close to 30 minutes of the movie citing the use of cuss words and remove references to Punjab. The producers finally decided to move the High Court ahead of film’s release on June 17.

The CBFC had earlier sought 89 cuts in the film.