Udta Punjab vs CBFC: Don’t blame the mirror for the reflection

The Central Board of Film Certification, or the censor board, has developed a penchant to be in the news for the wrong reasons. The latest is its ‘suggestions’ to the makers of the Hindi movie Udta Punjab — an Abhishek Chaubey film, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, which extensively deals with the drug menace in Punjab. Read | Kashyap like a child being denied a toy: Nihalani on Udta Punjab | HT Exclusive Clearly, Punjab’s drug problem is an inconvenient truth, especially for the Shiromani Akali Dal-led state government. Read | Think you’re in North Korea, let’s vote: Rathore to Kashyap on Udta Punjab The film’s co-producer Anurag Kashyap has compared the censor board’s demand to that of the restrictions in North Korea. Read | Udta Punjab not meant to defame: ‘Proud son of Punjab’ Jeetendra The censor board, under its chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani, should withhold its directorial pangs.