NEW DELHI: Drug-themed Udta Punjab is all set to release on Friday with the Supreme Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court paving the way for its release.
In an urgent hearing, the Supreme Court on Thursday disapproved the use of expletives in the film, but refused to interfere with the controversy arising out of it and kept the issue alive by leaving it to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
“We are not interfering in the matter. We are not going into the merits. Liberty granted to the petitioner to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court which is seized of the matter,” a Vacation Bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice L Nageswara Rao said.
Meanwhile, the HC dismissed two petitions filed against the film’s release after reading the report of amicus curiae advocate Sujoy Kantawala, who watched the movie on the directions of the High Court, which stated, “I have clearly mentioned in my report which was read out in open court that there is absolutely nothing in the film which could lead to any such sort of apprehensions which the petitioner entertained.”
During the short hearing, the apex court objected to the strategy of the Punjab-based NGO Human Rights Awareness Association of utilising multiple judicial forums at the same time.
“You can’t raise the issues at the same time in multiple forums,” the Bench said after it was informed that the High Court was seized of the matter and it was also raised before the Delhi High Court on Wednesday after it was mentioned in the Apex Court.
The court then questioned Anurag Kashyap, the co-producer of the movie on the use of expletives and abuses and said, “The language is very, very obscene. You can have your own review and delete these scenes. We are handicapped. We have not seen the movie, but the expletives ... are these words actually necessary?”
Appearing for Phantom Films, advocate Meenakshi Arora, said the expletives should not be taken in isolation and should be seen in the totality of the film which deals with drug problem in Punjab. “Those addicted to drugs do not use abusive language,” the court replied.