Anurag Kashyap rubbishes Udta Punjab ban reports

Even as there have been many political statements over the ban on movie Utda Punjab, movie producer Anurag Kashyap has denied any ban. Utda Punjab highlights the drug menace in Punjab. Political parties in Punjab, including the Congress and the AAP, have criticised the reports of ban on the movie, describing it as a political move. However, Mr Kashyap’s denial could embarrass the political parties.

There have also been reports that the Shahid Kapoor-Kareena Kapoor starrer has failed to get censor board’s approval due to excessive swearing and drug consumption. But, Mr Kashyap said the board’s examining committee has forwarded the decision to a revising committee and hence the film is far from being banned. “For the record, Udta Punjab is not banned. The examining committee has deferred the decision to revising and the due process takes it own time so please abstain for spreading a ban rumour. There is nothing to speak on the subject as of now,” he tweeted.

“A film is banned only when examining, revising and FCAT all three refuse certificate. And then you fight it out in Supreme Court,” he further wrote.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh had condemned the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) for outrightly banning Udta Punjab, saying it has clearly been done at the behest of the Akali-BJP government in Punjab. “The movie has been banned clearly with a guilty conscience”, he remarked.

“If you think that by banning a movie, that depicts the harsh reality of the drug scourge in Punjab, you will hide the truth from the world, you are badly mistaken”, Capt Amarinder told the Akali-BJP, who are clearly behind the Censor Board’s decision of banning the movie, in a statement issued here today.

Criticizing the ban the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has blamed Centre Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for not clearing Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Aliya Bhatt starer “Udta Punjab”,for public screening and also for offering lame excuses only to scuttle the movie due to political reasons.

AAP senior leader and Punjabi film artist Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi said though the CBFC officials were saying the movie was being blocked for excessive swearing in the ‘Udta Punjab’ but the real reason behind the ban is completely political.