With 89 Cuts and No ‘Punjab’, We Might As Well See ‘Udta Whatever’

No ‘Punjab’ and 89 cuts for the new Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt starrer?

Udta Punjab has found itself in endless controversies since its trailer launch

What’s in a name? A lot, as the makers of Udta Punjab would tell you.

The Shahid Kapoor-Alia Bhatt-Kareena Kapoor starrer, according to a NDTV report, is battling to retain its title. A censor board committee has reportedly asked the makers of Udta Punjab to remove all references of Punjab, politics and elections from the film.

And what’s more, according to a tweet by CNN-News18, Udta Punjab has been asked to take a mind-boggling 89 cuts instead of the original 40, along with beeping 35 cuss words. Wow!

The release date of the film might also now be pushed from June 17th to July 15th.

Udta Punjab deals with the rampant drug abuse in the state and has been drawing flak from Punjab’s ruling Akali Dal, led by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and deputy Sukhbir Badal.

Kareena Kapoor on the poster of Udta Punjab

The CBFC had initially recommended 40 cuts in the film directed by Abhishek Chaubey due to its excessive use of ‘explicit language’ and drug consumption. The team then reportedly approached the tribunal in the hope that it will clear the film sans cuts with an ‘Adults’ certification.

However, the revising committee resorted to banning the use of “Punjab” in the title and wants the film to be set in a fictional land rather than in the state. The committee which was reportedly presided over by censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani also has problems with the portrayal of “reality” in the film. Go figure!