Udta Punjab ruling has fans and film fraternity celebrating “freedom of expression”

Shahid Kapoor at a news conference in Mumbai on June 14 for his film Udta Punjab. The day before, a court told India’s film censor board not to act “like a grandmother” as it overturned a controversial demand by the notoriously strict organisation for 13 cuts to the film, which is about drug addiction. Punit Paranjpe / AFPShow less

The Bollywood drama Udta Punjab, which is in cinemas from today, made history this week with a groundbreaking verdict by the Indian High Court.

The film has been mired in controversy, after accusations by some that its story, about the drug problem in Punjab, depicted the northern Indian state in a bad light and “hurt sentiments”.

On Tuesday, the court overruled the 13 cuts called for by India’s Central Board of Film Certification. Instead, it ordered the addition of a disclaimer about the dangers of drug abuse, and the removal of a single scene showing a rock star relieving himself in front of a crowd.

The film will be released in the UAE today, and in the subcontinent on Friday, as per the original schedule.

The film’s cast immediately took to Twitter to celebrate.

Actress Alia Bhatt tweeted: “And FINALLY #UdtaPunjab will flyyyyy! Here’s to freedom of expression, to our judiciary, to the industry, to the media and to YOU ALL!”

Lead actor Shahid Kapoor tweeted: “Landmark judgement #UdtaPunjab will fly and so will the voice of freedom and expression. Thank you all for the support. This is your victory.”

Many in the Indian film industry, who have been critical of what they see as censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani’s conservative, high-handed manner in demanding cuts to films, were delighted by the court ruling.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar tweeted: “Landmark judgement by the honourable Bombay High Court on #UdtaPunjab. Great victory for the filmmakers.”

Celebrity director and producer Karan Johar tweeted: “And justice there is! #BombayHighCourt ... #UdtaPunjab ... as a filmmaker I feel empowered and relieved!”

Some of the praise was directed at the Bombay High Court judge who delivered the verdict – S C Dharmadhikari asked for a change not only to outdated and archaic CBFC guidelines, but also to its chief. Johar even referred to Dharmadhikari as a superhero: “#JudgeDharmAdhikari is the new superhero! You don’t need a mask to unmask fascism! #UdtaPunjab #LetItFly.”

Many in the media were also pleased by the ruling.

The Bombay Times tweeted: “Bombay HC tells CBFC not to act like grandmother. #UdtaPunjabVerdict.”

Some joked about how the film had managed to get so much publicity without any traditional marketing efforts.

Writer and former gossip columnist Shobhaa De tweeted: “Start flying! Have you booked your ticket? Udta Punjab should share profits with Nihalani for generating controversy.”

There were also voices of dissent, although they were in the minority and largely drowned out.

Television actor Mukesh Khanna repeated what he had said a few days ago: “If due to your freedom of expression, our students are going wayward and the landscape of our country’s security is being altered, I would stop them. There has to be censorship.”

Actor Shatrughan Sinha, one of the few Bollywood stars to defend Nihalani, who is a close friend, told news channel ANI: “Don’t shoot the messenger if you don’t like the message.”

The verdict also gave political parties a reason to attack each other, with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeting: “Udta Punjab judgement is a tight slap on [prime minister Narendra] Modi regime’s intolerance.”

In the final analysis, a simple Twitter post by one of the film's co-producers perhaps best summed up the surge in optimism in the industry that the Udta Punjab ruling has brought to India, amid a growing climate of intolerance.

“I believe!,” wrote Kashyap.