The Punjab and Haryana High Court, on Thursday cleared the decks for the release of the much talked about Bollywood flick “Udta Punjab”, dismissing the petitions seeking stalling its screening.
Just a day before the public release of the Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer Udta Punjab, Justice M Jeyapaul, while dismissing the petitions against the movie said that the police was there to take care of the repercussions raised by the petitioners.
The order of the High Court came after amicus curiae Sujay Kantawala told the Court that the film did not project Punjab or Punjabis in a bad light; and “A” certification would ensure adult audience capable of appreciating the issues conveyed in the film.In his four-page report submitted in the court, Amicus Curie has said that the drug menace is not a geocentric to the region of Punjab and it is a problem faced by the nation as a whole and the movie could have been picturized anywhere in India. The subject was of topical public importance and of significance to every citizen, regardless of his being a resident of Punjab.
In his report, the Amicus Curie made it clear that the film was not in any manner glorifying the uses of drugs and narcotic substances. It did not contain anything possible of being construed as having a luring effect on a person.
“The movie did not in any manner portray a bad image of Punjab and Punjabi or portray Punjab and Punjabis in any light whatsoever, positive or negative. “Having seen the whole film, my humble opinion is that I have not noticed anything objectionable in setting the film in Punjab or indeed titling it Udta Punjab. Rather, the viewer is likely to empathize with the message the film maker seeks to convey”, asserts the report.