Just one cut, ‘Udta Punjab’ ready to fly

Mumbai, June 13

Admonishing the censor board for acting like a “grandmother”, the Bombay High Court today ordered it to certify the movie “Udta Punjab” within 48 hours with just one cut instead of 13 suggested by the CBFC, so its producers can release it on June 17.

“Barring the deletion of the urination scene as directed by the board and modification of the disclaimer, the June 6 order passed by the CBFC’s revising committee directing for 13 changes is set aside,” the court said, clearing the decks for the release of the drug-themed film.

The Bench of Justices SC Dharmadhikari and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi  raised questions about the CBFC’s powers to censor movies as the word “censor” did not figure in the Cinematograph Act and said if cuts had to be made, those should be in consonance with the Constitution and directions of the Supreme Court.

“Censor in common parlance means to certify a movie. Therefore, if by law the board is empowered to make changes, cuts, or deletions, this power of the CBFC must be consistently in consonance with the provisions of the Constitution,” Justice Dharmadhikari said.

“The hard work of lawyers has paid off. I am terribly pleased with the verdict,” director Abhishek Chaubey said. — TNS & PTI