Bollywood Reacts: Celebs Bash Censor Board's Treatment of Udta Punjab on Twitter

If you thought that Udta Punjab has been unfairly treated by the Censor Board for changing its name and ordering 40 cuts to be made to the film, prepare to get even more infuriated.

According to reports, Censor Board has reached a new level of extreme by ordering 89 cuts! Not only that, CBFC has ordered the filmmakers to remove every reference of Punjab in the film.

The reasoning for this is simple: Udta Punjab should seem like that it represents a fictious place rather than the actual state the film is about.

These decisions have faced a lot of backlash on social media from those who have been waiting to see the film. With all the cuts and changes, it has become obvious that the true essence of the film will be lost. 

This frustration is shared by Bollywood, with several members of the film fraternity tweeting to show their support for the film and criticise the CBFC for its actions.

Anurag Kashyap, who is a co-producer of the film, was one of the first to express his anger towards Censor Board's actions. Kashyap, who has faced Censor Board's cold shoulder before, compared the situation to North Korea in a series of tweets. 

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

Joseph Ka Mukadama was a Hindi play adaptation of which famous Czech novel?? We are back there ?

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016

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 filmmmaker, clearly distressed, also reached out to PM Narendra Modi.

@narendramodi UDTA Punjab

— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 6, 2016

The rest of the Bollywood wasn't far behind in showing their support for the film. Actors and filmmakers of Bollywood took to twitter to share their views about the Censor Board's actions towards the films.

#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_ ??

— soha ali khan (@sakpataudi) June 6, 2016

Delusion or collusion? Why is the establishment so scared of films that mirror reality? #UdtaPunjabCensored

— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) 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

" Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance". Is Pahalaj Nihalani listening ?

— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) June 6, 2016

Let that be example for all of us. We need to raise our voices to protect this film, so that nothing like this happens ever again.