Udta Punjab under censor lens: Film fraternity must take a stand, says Karan Johar

The censor board revising committee has asked the makers of Udta Punjab to remove all references to Punjab from the film.

The committee has asked the makers to set the Abhishek Chaubey-directorial in a fictional land. However, removing all references to Punjab in the film - which is set entirely in Punjab - will result in over 89 cuts.

The decision has left the Udta Punjab team in a tizzy. The makers are now reportedly planning to take a legal route to solve the matter.

Director-turned-producer Karan Johar took to Twitter to urge the film fraternity to take a stand on the issue. He tweeted:

"#UdtaPunjab speaks of the reality of our times....censoring reality amounts to delusion.....the fraternity has to stand by what's right!!"

The film stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh in pivotal roles.

In a recent group interview, Alia Bhatt revealed that she was disappointed by the actions of censor board. However, she assured that the team would take appropriate action once an official statement was issued.

"We are still getting details about the controversy surrounding the title. The producers are still in talks so I think once we get the official statement only then we should make the noise we want to," Alia said.

Udta Punjab, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Productions, was scheduled to hit the screens on 17 June.