Udta Punjab hit screens in Pakistan, against the wishes of the director after Pakistan Censor Board allowed the film to release after 100 cuts.
In an interview with Times of India Director Abhishek Chaubey said, “It definitely means loss of revenue if the film is not released in Pakistan. But more than that, it would make no sense to release it with the said cuts. The film is intended to convey something and make a point.”
Filmmakers of Udta Punjab fought tooth and nail to release the film in India without any cuts, taking the matter to court. However, since they cannot fight their case in Pakistan, they have decided against the film’s release here.
“There is no scope to fight our case in Pakistan. So, we decided not to release the film there,” he added.
Strangely enough, the film hit local cinemas on 24th June and shows will be on for the next couple of days.
The director explains that the language used in the film is essential to the reality they tried to create.
“There was a bigger message that we wanted to convey with the movie and that was against drug peddling and drug abuse. The film had to reflect reality,” he said.