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Pahlaj Nihalani has asked that ‘Punjab’ be removed from the title of the movie Udta Punjab and that 89 scenes be dropped from the film. Indeed he is right to ask. After all, if Nihalani doesn’t take a stand in the interest of the state, who will?
Before Nihalani became the Censor Board chief, filmmakers took undue liberty with titles. A glance at movie titles like Mother India, Salaam Bombay!, Chandi Chowk and Bombay clearly shows how they maligned the name of the country.
But better late than never. Nihalani is here to save the day.
One can hope that Nihalani would not only censor the names of these films but also save the reputation of the country in the process.
Mother India: Time to Call Mehboob Khan Back from the Dead to Get the Name Changed
Mehboob Khan’s Mother India released in 1957. The film portrayed the plight of a mother struggling to eke out a living. How could Mehboob draw attention to India’s poverty!
Salaam Bombay!: Two Things Wrong With One Name
Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! was about the children of the road-dwellers in Bombay. Firstly, Bombay should have been removed from the title. And how could Bombay be used in the title instead of Mumbai? Of course the name must be changed.
Bombay: Film About Communalism in India
This Mani Ratnam film is set in the backdrop of the Babri Masjid demolition. He attempted to project India as a secular country but through the lens of communalism. That’s enough to warrant the Censor Board’s intervention.
Chandni Chowk: Why Isn’t Alka Lamba Sitting on Dharna Already?
BR Chopra made Mahabharata. And then he made a mistake called Chandni Chowk. This was a realistic social drama depicting patriarchy in the Muslim society.
Without much ado, it’s time for the Aam Aadmi Party’s Alka Lamba, the legislator of the Chandni Chowk area in Delhi, to sit on dharna.
Ab Dilli Door Nahin: If This Isn’t an ‘Anti-National’ Film, We Don’t Know What is
The only way this Raj Kapoor film could have gone is down the alley of anti-nationalism.
Ab Dilli Door Nahin was about a farmer who is wrongly sentenced to death for a murder, when he is unable to pay his debts. A pickpocket decides to approach Jawaharlal Nehru to seek justice for him. This pointed towards a systemic failure as the poor man struggled to be heard, though it ended with a victory for humanity.
Why Raj Kapoor would even attempt to use such a plot for his film is beyond comprehension.
These movie titles must be brought to Nihalani’s attention immediately so that he saves the country from further humiliation. Let amateur directors raise a hue and cry while Nihalani does what is right.
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