New Delhi: The controversy over Bollywood film "Udta Punjab" escalated on Tuesday with co-producer Anurag Kashyap comparing the Censor Board to North Korean dictatorship on Twitter.
The Abhishek Chaubey directorial is set in Punjab and deals with the issue of drug abuse in the state. The makers of the film are said to have been asked by the Revising Committee of the Censor Board to remove all references to Punjab and to make 89 cuts.
Kashyap hit out at the board chief Pahlaj Nihalani saying that he is behaving like a god.
While speaking to CNN-News18, Kashyap said, "Drug problem is an issue and it does exists in Punjab. The film doesn't refer to any political party. Pahlaj Nihalani's morality is governing the censor board. If you are making cuts to the film and not showing the facts, it means you are endorsing drugs."
"I don't want Pahlaj Nihalani to act god to my films. All the filmmakers are frustrated with the functioning of Nihalani. Appealing government to intervene in this case," the filmmaker said.
Kashyap got the support of several filmmakers including Karan Johar, Mahesh Bhatt, Ram Gopal Varma and Mukesh Bhatt. "It is a dark day for freedom of expression and creativity in the country," Mukesh Bhatt said, calling Nihalani a "stooge" of the government.
When contacted, I&B ministry officials said the CBFC is independent when it comes to certification of films. The ministry is, however, re-looking at the entire process of certification of films in the light of the Shyam Benegal committee report which had given its suggestions recently, they added.
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