'Udta Punjab' row: How real controversy reaps reel benefits for film makers

'Udta Punjab', like other movies, might benefit from CBFC's actions and the resultant controversy

The Bombay High Court on Monday cleared the decks for the release of the movie 'Udta Punjab' after ordering the deletion of a single scene — the protagonist urinating in front of a crowd.

The makers of the movie had been locked in a dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over the laundry list of cuts the latter had mandated. While the court came down heavily on the CBFC and asked it not to act like a "grandmother", the CBFC's actions and the resultant controversy could very well help the film in the box office.

   

With the movie's name splashed across all forms of media for the past few days, it is unlikely it would not have piqued the curiosity of many a cinemagoer. 

However, in such an eventuality, Udta Punjab will not be alone in having reaped the benefits of free publicity.

Here are a few movies which courted controversy and went on to rake big bucks at the counter:

Bajirao Mastani

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's project faced many a hurdle. Bajirao Mastani, the self-indulgent film maker's take on Peshwa Bajirao I and princess Mastani Begum, was envisioned some 12 years ago. It quickly came to a dead end after lead pair Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai developed off-screen differences.

When the idea was dusted off much later – this time with Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra – the film's songs caused an outcry among the descendants of the Maratha warrior and his Muslim lover, who found them objectionable.

The flamboyant dance moves did not go down well with members of Bajirao's clan — his descendants from Mastani, the Nawabs of Banda, have filed petitions in the courts of Jabalpur and Indore, and his heirs from his first wife, Kashibai, spoke out in the media.

Despite these hurdles, by the end of January this year, the film earned over Rs 350 crore, says a report by the International Business Times. The report said that the film ended its worldwide lifetime run with Rs 360 crore. 

PK

Aamir Khan-starrer 'PK' faced protest as activists of right-wing Hindu groups, particularly the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, claimed that the film "hurt" the religious sentiments of Hindus. 

Various cinema halls saw crowds of activists gather outside their premises, with the activists demanding that the screening of the film be stopped. 

However, despite the furore, by May last year, it was the highest grossing movie of all time in Bollywood with a net collection of Rs 340 crore (after tax).

Five months after it hit the screens, 'PK' added another feather to its cap by becoming the first Bollywood film to cross Rs 200-crore mark in the box office abroad.

With a collection of Rs 210 crore, it beat 'Dhoom 3' (2013), which collected Rs 170 crore, to become the highest overseas money-maker ever for Bollywood.

As of May last year, even if ones takes only the Indian theatrical business, the film has got the makers a return on investment to the tune of 385 per cent.

OMG: Oh My God!

Right-wing groups like Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and VHP protested against the film's treatment of religious deities and its attack on age-old rituals. 

However, the Akshay Kumar-starrer, which saw Paresh Rawal question gods and beliefs of every major faith in a court of law, did not attract as much controversy as PK did.

Despite the protests, by its fourth week, according to koimoi.com, the film had earned Rs 100 crore gross (including taxes).  

My Name is Khan

The Shiv Sena sent letters to exhibitors to ban the film, saying that the party “vehemently" objected "to Shah Rukh Khan’s movie being screened unless he publicly apologised to the country for inviting Pakistani cricketers to play in the Indian Premier League”.

This was especially worrisome given Shiv Sena's clout in Maharashtra and the fact that the state and its capital, Mumbai, account for over 25 per cent of a Bollywood movie’s box office collections.

However, according to The Indian Express, the Karan Johar-directed film managed to rake in Rs 150 crore from just its first week of release in India and abroad.

Haider

Vishal Bharadwaj's Shahid Kapoor-starrer 'Haider' ran into trouble over its treatment of the insurgency in Kashmir. 

According to a FirstPost article, despite raving reviews, social media sites, especially Twitter, erupted with calls to boycott the movie. #BoycottHaider trended, according to the report, as people claimed that the movie was "sympathetic to separatists and that it doesn't account for the suffering of the Kashmiri pandits...".

Despite the outrage, according to indicine.com, "Haider has done well at the box office, grossing Rs 89.21 crore worldwide. The film as done ‘Hit’ business in India and for its genre has done reasonably well in the overseas markets too."