A decision on whether or not the controversial Bollywood film Udta Punjab will release in the UAE is expected to be made on Monday, according to the National Media Council (NMC).
“The film is with us and we will tell you whether it will release or not tomorrow,” said Juma Obaid Al Leem, director of the Media Content Tracking Department at the NMC, the official body that approves films for release in the Emirates.
The film, which was scheduled to release in India on June 17, is awaiting a verdict from the Mumbai High Court after its producers challenged the censor board’s demand for cuts. The Central Board For Film Certification (CBFC) earlier ordered 89 cuts, asked for the film’s title to be changed, and demanded all references to the state of Punjab, including any of its cities, to be removed.
In an unprecedented development, Bollywood has taken a united stand and sided with Udta Punjab’s producers, lamenting the excessive cuts made by India’s censor board. Producers have refused to give in to the CBFC’s demands.
UAE cinemas on Monday, including Vox Cinemas and Cinemacity at Arabian Centre, had the film listed in schedules for June 16.
“Reel Cinemas will screen the movie that has been approved by UAE Censorship; it has been rated 18+,” a representative of Reel Cinemas told Gulf News tabloid!
However, sources from the film’s production team in India were cautious, referring to the impending court ruling on Monday.
Udta Punjab, co-produced by Anurag Kashyap and starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor, deals with the drug problem in the state of Punjab in North India. Abhishek Chaubey, of Ishqiya fame, is the director.
