The producers of the Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer `Udta Punjab' on Wednesday approached the Bombay high court against an order of the Review Committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking cuts in the movie as well as deleting references to Punjab in the title. Anurag Kashyap's Phantom Films, one of the producers of the movie, mentioned the matter before a division bench of Justice Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari and Justice Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi, earlier in the day.
They claimed that they had not recevied a copy of the order. Subsequently in the afternoon session, after obtaining the order copy , the producers sought time to study it and decide whether to challenge the changes suggested by the committee. The review panel has ordered cuts in 13 categories.
Will Udta Punjab miss its release date? The HC allowed the request to amend the petition and has scheduled it for hearing on Thursday. The court has also asked the CBFC to place before it the records in the case.
Udta Punjab
, which deals with the problem of rising drug addiction among youth in Punjab, had veered into controversy over its theme. The film is slated for release on June 17, 2016. The theme of drug addiction has also emerged as a hot-button political issue in the state that will go for elections in January 2017.
There was also a discussion on whether the film makers had an alternative legal remedy as per the Cinematograph Act -to file an appeal before the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, which is headed by a retired high court judge. Senior advocate Ravi Kadam pointed out that the FCAT chairman was not available till June 14 and the law allows for the film makers to approach the HC in the absence of the tribunal.
Listen to the songs of Udta Punjab on gaana.com WATCH: Udta Punjab | Trailer (2016) | Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor,Alia Bhatt, Diljeet
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