Following the film’s much talked about tussle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a copy of the film was leaked online as a torrent on Wednesday, two days before the film’s release in theatres. Going by the snapshots from the leaked copy, it could be determined that the copy of the film was the one that was submitted to the CBFC for review, as it has a watermark that says ‘For Censor’ embedded in it. It also contained the scenes that were objected to, by the CBFC. Members of the film’s crew have not commented on the issue so far.
Recommended
Udta Punjab, directed by Abhishek Chaubey, depicts the alleged drug menace in Punjab. It has been in the news for the past one week when it ran into issues with the CBFC, which demanded 89 cuts in the film including the change of its title. It also demanded the removal of all references to Punjab from the film. Following this, there was a furore over how the CBFC was stepping beyond its role of certifying a film. However, on the 13th of June, the Bombay High Court cleared the film for release with just one cut – the scene where the lead character played by Shahid Kapoor urinates in front of an audience.
In a recent development, a Punjab NGO has demanded a stay on the film for ‘Portraying the state of Punjab in poor light’.
Produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under their banner Balaji Motion Pictures, in association with Phantom Films, Udta Punjab features Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Diljit Dosanjh in the lead roles.