It’s a rare occasion when almost every member of Bollywood film industry came together to speak out on a single issue. Everyone have a same opinion on the censorship of an upcoming movie ‘Udta Punjab’. Supporting free speech and freedom of expression, Bollywood came out in support of Shahid Kapoor’s upcoming movie.
Mahesh Bhatt, producer Ekta Kapoor, Vikas Bahl, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap along with the whole cast of the movie was present during ‘Udta Punjab’ press conference. While others took to Twitter to show their support to the movie.
Censor board has asked for a total of 94 cuts in the film and the makers have challenged their decision and took their plea to Bombay High Court.
Talking about the issue, Bollywood Diva Priyanka Chopra said, “In democracy you cannot dictate what one should eat or watch a movie on a social issue. Our forefathers achieved freedom of speech and expression for us after a long struggle… Creativity should not be stopped in democracy,” Indian media reported.
Arjun Kapoor shared one of the picture with Shahid Kapoor on Twitter and captioned, “This one is for #UdtaPunjab’s Tommy Singh urf Shahid Kapoor !!! We all behind you and the film brother!!!”.
In an open letter ace director Karan Johar said, “So yes, I’m deeply stressed as a filmmaker, and I know I’m not alone. The censorship crisis, the moral policing, the politics of it has most of us on edge. I’m scared to use certain words: like if I use “Bombay”, will there be a problem? (Scratch that: yes, it already happened.) I am not supposed to use the word “beef”, I heard somewhere even Masterchef is swapping beef for, well, beep. And now, Punjab is apparently off limits”.
“Are we supposed to say that drugs aren’t being consumed in parts of the country? No, no, everyone’s just high on mithai. Is baby powder what’s being sniffed by available and interested nostrils? Rarely do mainstream stars step out of their comfort zones to do films that reflect reality, now you’re scaring away those that do. And it’s back to the drawing board. Are we expected then to just lie? Do we not allow cinema to reflect the truth?,” he added.
Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan too extended his support for the film and said it’s unfortunate that the board is behaving so difficult and is surprised with the cuts they have asked for the film.
Sonakshi Sinha wrote, “I really don’t know what #UdtaPunjab should be renamed to… But the Censor Board can surely consider the name #UdtaMazaak”.
Lead actor of the movie, Shahid Kapoor said, “We live in the age of information and technology. Our generation and youth have the right to be informed. If they are not getting informed, then there is a problem. Youth has the right to know drugs are a menace. They have a right to know what can happen if they get into it whether it is the youth of Punjab, Maharashtra or whole of India,” Indian Express reported.
Comments
Comments are closed.