Even as the massive controversy surrounding Udta Punjab continues to grow, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is refusing to back down. This has led to a massive public reaction on Change.org
Over 30 Change.org petitions have been started by people across the country asking for an uncensored version of Udta Punjab to be cleared for release. The biggest petition on #UdtaPunjab started by Mehakpal Singh from Amritsar has drawn the support of nearly 35,000 people in just four days.
Udta Punjab shows the dark reality of youth in Punjab, and every Punjabi wants that the plight of Punjabi youth to be improved. We want to see the movie without any cuts!Mekhpal Singh
#SackNihalani
While most petitions express anger at CBFC Chief Pankaj Nihalani’s undue censorship, three of them specifically ask for Nihalani to be sacked. Out of these three, the biggest petition on #SackNihalani, started by Shriya Desai from Bengaluru that has drawn nearly 30,000 signatures in the past four days.
Pahlaj Nihalani has been treating the Censor Board like his personal fiefdom. He has taken arbitrary decisions, sometimes without even watching movies. It’s time to fire him!Shriya Desai
Random Certification
While these two categories of petitions continue to trend on Change.org, Jayashree B brought in a new angle to debate on the CBFC – “random certification”.
In her petition, Jayashree says she recently took her sons to a Tamil movie branded as science fiction, because it had been given U-certification. However, the movie featured violent and disturbing scenes inappropriate for young children. On the other hand, a movie like Udta Punjab that “challenges status quo” receives heavy cuts.
Why does the the Censor Board treat children like adults and adults like children?Jayashree B
Udta Punjab is scheduled to be released on 17 June. The final decision on the plea against CBFC will be taken on 13 June.
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