Certify Udta Punjab, don't censor it, High Court tells Censor Board. Order out on 13 June

The Mumbai High Court, which heard a petition in the Udta Punjab-Censor Board war on 10 June, will pass a ruling in the matter on 13 June.

Following the row over the censor revising committee suggesting 89 cuts in Udta Punjab, the producers, Phantom Productions and Balaji Motion Pictures, filed a petition to clear the film without cuts.

The makers believed that releasing the film with cuts would dilute the impact of the film.

The high court judge has asked the censor board to merely certify the film as the Cinematograph Act does not grant them the power to censor it.

"Do you see the word censor anywhere in the act? If you want to see something something, use the remote. The word censor is the media's creation. Your power is to certify films. Trust viewers discretion. Leave it to the people. Multiplex audience is mature enough to decide for themselves. Audience is very open minded now. Films don't get ruined due to language," the judge said.

If the court rules in favour of the film, the move will come as a relief for director Abhishek Chaubey and the team of Udta Punjab. The film starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh is scheduled for a 17 June 2016 release.