Badal Distances Himself From 'Udta Punjab' Row, Says It's Not His Concern

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has distanced himself from the controversy surrounding the movie 'Udta Punjab' claiming the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government has nothing to do with the censoring of the film.

"I don't know about the issue. Whether it is getting censored or banned is not the concern of the Punjab government," Badal said.

Badal’s party SAD had earlier raised objection against the movie and the portrayal of drug menace in the state.

The Censor Board has ordered multiple cuts in the movie - even as the Censor Board has given the film an A Certificate. The board has asked for the deletion of the signboard of Punjab at the beginning of the film. It has asked for the removal of all visuals and dialogue references to Punjab, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Taran Taran, Jashanpur, Ambesar and Moga.

According to the Censor Board, the words 'election', 'MP' and 'MLA' should also be removed along with the close-up shots of drugs being injected. The board also want the dog in the film to be renamed.

The Abhishek Chaubey-directorial is set in Punjab and deals with the issue of drug abuse in the state.

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court is hearing the writ petition filed by filmmakers who claim that no valid reasons have been given for the cuts. They have also claimed that the portrayal of Punjab in the film doesn't affect the state's sovereignty.

The BJP has dismissed allegations of Centre’s role in the Censor Board's decision. "I completely reject it (charge) that the government has any role or intervened to stop its release. I don't think there is any drug problem in the state. The Akali Dal-BJP government in the state are doing an excellent work," senior party leader and Union Minister of State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.

The raging controversy over 'Udta Punjab' took a dramatic turn on Wednesday when Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani suggested that Anurag Kashyap may have made the movie after taking money from the Aam Aadmi Party, sparking a stinging reaction from Bollywood and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.