In Pictures | 5 Indian films that CBFC forgot to ban for portrayal of drug use
Udta Punjab got its wings clipped as the Central Board of Film Certification, or as most people know it, the Censor Board, refused to certify it for release.
Udta Punjab got its wings clipped as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), or as most people know it, the Censor Board, refused to certify it for release.
There were a few conditions to be met for the film to be granted the certification— 89 cuts and removing any mention of Punjab.
In a film, that was made to raise awareness about the endemic drug problem in the state, the changes would affect the crux of the film.
Twitter and Facebook erupted in protest against the decision as did filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Mukesh Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt, Zoya Akhtar, Imtiaz Ali, Sudhir Mishra and Kabir Khan.
Clearly, it will be a while before the Indian film industry can make films like Trainspotting or The Basketball Diaries.
The irony is that there were times when the Censor Board got a little lenient or, perhaps, inattentive in cutting such scenes, having allowed some of the iconic (and not so iconic) films to show the actors smoking pot.
Udta Punjab may not fly, but the characters in these films were soaring!