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While the trailer and songs of Udta Punjab have got almost everyone excited about the film, there’s one body of individuals who are none too pleased with the final output after having seen it before the common public. We’re talking about the moral custodians of Indian cinema, the censor board, and the latest target of their ire is the Abhishek Chaubey-directed film. According to Bollywood Hungama, this time the censors weren't content with slaughtering the creativity of the film by recommending numerous cuts. The powers-that-be at the board have decided to stall the release of Udta Punjab altogether by refusing to certify it. The reason given is the numerous swear words littered across the dialogues, which, in all fairness, seems like a realistic outlook considering the film deals with the drug menace gripping Punjab at the moment. However, there’s another theory behind the board’s refusal to certify the film that’s doing the rounds –Punjab’s ruling political party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), is said to have expressed concerns over the portrayal of the state and its drug-related issues in the film. With state elections a year away, they’re not too happy with the film’s content, and feel that it resembles the allegations other political outfits like Congress and AAP are directing at SAD. But, one of SAD’s MLAs, Virsa Singh Valhota, assured that the party wouldn’t seek a ban on the film merely because it’s centered on drug abuse. They only want to ensure that the filmmakers haven’t depicted Punjabis in a poor light. It’s also being reported that the makers of Udta Punjab have already approached the Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) even though they had the option of going to the censor board’s revising committee. The reason behind Anurag Kashyap and the rest of the producer’s decision stems from their worry that the revising committee may ask them to accept some cuts, and with just three weeks to go for the film’s release, they aren’t ready to compromise on any of the content at this point in time. FCAT has been known to certify films leniently in the past, even sex comedies, and it’s this reputation that the makers of Udta Punjab are banking on. Udta Punjab stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Diljit Dosanjh in key roles. It’s slated to release on 17th June 2016.
Udta Punjab makers file complaint against piracy after the film leaks online
From censorship controversy to Alia Bhatt's portrayal of a Bihari, Udta Punjab faced several tribulations and scandals in the past few weeks. While the release date in itself was under threat with the makers fighting the censorship battle, now that the film has received certification, the process of release of Udta Punjab still hasn't become any smoother. In fact, it became even more complicated after copies of the film were leaked online. The makers are now all set to take legal action against the same. After a couple of press conferences, social media outbursts and a long battle against the CBFC, Udta Punjab finally moved the High Court over its certification. The Bombay High Court not only condemned the cuts suggested by CBFC but also passed the film with minor changes and a single cut. Content with the same, the makers heaved a sigh of relief and with their certification in place they were gearing up to release the film on schedule. Just two days before the same, several copies of the film have gone viral online. In fact, from what we hear, there are two versions of Udta Punjab, the uncensored one and the one which has all the recommended censor changes online that is available for download. It is being said that the makers have now approached the cyber-crime cell for this sabotage to pull down these online copies. Police has registered an FIR under the sections of Information Technology and Copyright Act and it has been learnt that these officials have been given three links, one of which is also a torrent size, from where netizens have been exploiting the copies of Udta Punjab. On the other hand, as the actors of the film are requesting their fans to say no to piracy, coming out in support are also several other celebrities from the fraternity so that they can encourage fans to watch Udta Punjab in theatres.
'Udta Punjab' finally gets its censor certificate
The makers of 'Udta Punjab' said they finally got the censor certificate in hand on Wednesday evening, and the film is all set to hit the screens on Friday. A post on the official twitter handle of Balaji Motion pictures, one of the co-producers of Abhishek Chaubey's film, read: "And UdtaPunjab finally gets the UdtaCertificate!! "Let's fly high in 2 days!" Meanwhile, Manoj Desai, Executive Director of Gaiety Galaxy and Maratha Mandir Cinema, told IANS that the certificate came "at around 7 in the evening and now the advance booking will open from tomorrow (Thursday) morning". The pre-release buzz of "Udta Punjab" is immense given the legal war that followed the Central Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) order for a whopping 89 cuts to make the movie fit for release. The censors brought down that number to 13 later. Eventually, however, the Bombay High Court ruled it could release with just one scene cut. The film, co-produced by Phanton Films and Balaji Motion Pictures, features Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh.
Udta Punjab leaked online two days before release
Controversial film “Udta Punjab” was leaked online on Wednesday, two days ahead of its scheduled release in theatres. However, the film’s team managed to remove it online on war footing from torrent sites. On Wednesday afternoon, it emerged that the Abhishek Chaubey directorial — which has been in news for the makers’ run-in with the censor board — was available on torrent sites for illegal download. However, soon the download links were “removed due to a copyright complaint”, the websites read.
Udta Punjab box office collections: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt starrer earns Rs. 21.30 cr
The most controversial and debated film of the year Udta Punjab directed by Abhishek Chaubey released on June 17 and it has managed to establish an emotional connect with the audiences on Day One. The movie got off to a flying start at the box office, specially in North India (Delhi, Punjab), and has minted Rs. 10.05 cr. on the first day of its release. On day two the collections saw a growth of 11.94 %. On Saturday, the film earned Rs 11.25 cr., making the total collections of the film Rs 21.30 cr. Going by the day one collections, the film secured the fifth position in the list of movies with highest opening day collections of 2016 after Shah Rukh Khan’s Fan being at number 1, Housefull 3 at number 2, Airlift at number 3 and Baaghi at number 4. Udta Punjab stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh in lead roles. Every viewer we spoke to unanimously opined that the controversy generated by the CBFC had made them curious to catch the film as soon as possible. While adverse reactions were literally nil, a couple of viewers did make it a point to note that the usage of Punjabi in a Hindi film should have been kept minimal. (Udta Punjab movie review: Shahid, Alia starrer is worth all the fuss) Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared Udta Punjab box office collections on Twitter.
'Udta Punjab' records 5th highest opening weekend of 2016
Made for a niche audience, Shahid Kapoor-starrer 'Udta Punjab' wasn't really expected to garner big numbers at the box office. And as it hit theatres on Friday, the collections were more or less in line with the predictions. However, with a strong word-of-mouth buzz, the numbers soared over the weekend, helping the film become the fifth highest opening weekend grosser of 2016. Says trade analyst Amod Mehra, "The trade was expecting the huge free publicity (courtesy the controversy over censorship) that was bestowed on 'Udta Punjab' to help the film garner a huge opening. But, it opened to average response on Friday with North India bringing in maximum revenue. The collections improved over the weekend and the film managed to register a respectable weekend. Made at a modest budget, 'Udta Punjab' should be able to sail through to the safety mark comfortably." According to trade sources, the numbers made for Shahid's career best weekend. So far, the record was held by his 2013 film, 'R... Rajkumar', which had minted Rs 30.7 crore in the first three days of release. 'Udta Punjab' also stars Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh and Kareena Kapoor Khan. "The film is doing very well in multiplexes across big cities and the best numbers have come in from Punjab and Delhi," says trade expert Taran Adarsh. Last Friday's other Hindi release, Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Dhanak' had to content itself with critical acclaim as 'Udta Punjab' clearly stole the show. Among Hollywood releases, 'Finding Dory', a sequel to 'Finding Nemo' (2003) was received well by the audience.