Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir 'shocked' by abusive words in 'Udta Punjab'

CHANDIGARH: After maintaining silence for several days over the raging controversy on 'Udta Punjab' — a movie on the drug menace in the state — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal on Thursday joined the issue, saying he was 'shocked' with words 'kanjar' and 'banjar' in the movie.

Sukhbir referred to the movie as "one of the countless such films produced for commercial reasons in the country. Neither chief minister Parkash Singh Badal nor I nor anyone else at the political or administrative level in the government or the party has seen the film so far. So, how can we take a call on whether or not the film will affect the peaceful atmosphere in the state by hurting the sentiments of Punjabis through a vulgar and humiliating presentation of present-day Punjab and Punjabis?" asked Sukhbir, in a statement issued by his office.

The row over cuts in the movie has brought Bollywood bigwigs together against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani, demanding his sack. The CBFC had asked for 89 cuts in the movie for its certification. 'Udta Punjab' co-producer Anurag Kashyap stated that Nihalani's allegation that he had accepted AAP funding to show Punjab in a bad light was absolutely wrong. Both AAP and Congress have accused SAD of playing a key role in seeking deletion of references to words like 'Punjab', names of seven districts in the state, 'elections', and 'MLA'.

Sukhbir also asserted that "it was absurd" to suggest the government's intervention "at this stage" to make cuts in the movie. "Whether to allow its release or not is an issue between the producers and the CBFC. The government has nothing to do with it. It is for the censors to see whether the film meets or violates the fundamental principles of balance between freedom of expression on the one hand, and deliberately or inadvertently blackening the face of a state.

While seeking 89 cuts in the film, the CBFC had demanded a disclaimer in the movie, with praises for Punjab government and Punjab police, and removal of drug injection scenes. Also, it asked the producers to clearly state in the credits that it was only a work of fiction. The CBFC had also told the film-makers to delete the words 'election', 'MP', 'party', 'party worker', 'MLA', 'Punjab', and 'parliament'.

"We are in favour of anything that lends social, psychological, or thematic support to our all-out war against drugs. For all I know, the film in question may even be an attempt to correct the distorted picture of Punjab as a drug haven, painted by some opportunistic non-Punjabis, political parties, and leaders using abusive language against the bravest and most competent, patriotic people of Punjab. If so, we will welcome the movie and even support it, and other similar films aimed at an image correction of Punjabis," added Sukhbir.