It's like living in North Korea: Anurag Kashyap on Udta Punjab censorship
Anurag Kashyap, one of the producers of ‘Udta Punjab’, has compared the ongoing censorship regarding his upcoming film to the dictator regime of North Korea. The ‘Bombay Velvet’ director expressed his angst on his social networking handle, saying that there was no sense of freedom.
"I always wondered what it felt like to live in North Korea... Ab to plane pakadney ki bhi zaroorat nahin...," he posted on Twitter.
I always wondered what it felt like to live in North Korea .. Ab to plane pakadney ki bhi zaroorat nahin..
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016
The 43-year-old filmmaker's tweet came after the Censor Board had purportedly raised certain objections regarding references to Punjab following which the movie may have to go through some changes.
Apart from asking to take Punjab out of the film’s title, the board has asked the makers to make 89 cuts in the film for it to release with an A rating.
Joseph Ka Mukadama was a Hindi play adaptation of which famous Czech novel?? We are back there 😳
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016
@NeetalSengar your pride devoid of truth is gonna come back and bite in your ass so hard and no one will be around to hear you scream
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016
@narendramodi UDTA Punjab
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016
‘Udta Punjab’, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor
Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh in a pivotal role, deals with the substance abuse in Northen part of the state and its effects on the youth.
"There is no film more honest than UDTA PUNJAB... And any person or party opposing it is actually GUILTY of promoting drugs," Kashyap added.
There is no film more honest than UDTA PUNJAB .. And any person or party opposing it is actually GUILTY of promoting drugs
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016
The director later chose to clarify his statement, saying it was the censor board and the 'dictatorial man' sitting at the head, which felt like North Korea to him.
It's my fight Vs a dictatorial man sitting there operating like an oligarch in his constituency of censor board, that's my North Korea
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 7, 2016
Anurag also asked all political parties including the National Congress Party and the AAP, to step back as he felt this was his personal fight against the board and that he didn't want them 'colouring' it with any 'political affiliation'.
I request Congress, AAP and other political parties to stay out of my battle. It's my Rights vs the Censorship. I speak only on my behalf
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 7, 2016
Rest of you go pick your own fights. I will fight mine.
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 7, 2016
So please don't colour my fight with any political affiliation because there is none.
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 7, 2016
The Bollywood film fraternity also tok to their social media handles last evening to rally behind 'Udta Punjab'. Filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt, Karan Johar, Hansal Mehta stepped up to vehemently criticise the board for their actions.
" Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance". Is Pahalaj Nihalani listening ?
— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) June 6, 2016
Delusion or collusion? Why is the establishment so scared of films that mirror reality? #UdtaPunjabCensored
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) June 6, 2016
Do not go gentle into that good night Bollywood! Rage, rage against this theatre of the absurd. #UdtaPunjabCensored
— Anupama Chopra (@anupamachopra) June 7, 2016
I guess the next step will be to submit scripts for censorship. #UdtaPunjabCensored
— Nikkhil Advani (@nikkhiladvani) June 7, 2016
#UdtaPunjab speaks of the reality of our times....censoring reality amounts to delusion.....the fraternity has to stand by what's right!!
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) June 6, 2016
Anyone who says that drugs are not a problem in punjab is either unaware,complicit or has malafide intention #UdtaPunjab @_phoenix_fire_ ðŸ‘ðŸ¼
— soha ali khan (@sakpataudi) June 6, 2016
If instead of #UdtaPunjab they had called it ‘Girta Punjab’, perhaps, Censor would have cleared it as a realistic movie. #UdtaPunjab
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) June 6, 2016
Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the 'Udta Punjab' is slated to release on June 17.
