In wake of the ongoing controversy surrounding Shahid Kapoor's starrer 'Udta Punjab,' FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan today said the final decision rests with the Censor Board, but added co-producer Anurag Kashyap may approach the tribunal and court to justify his stand.
"Whenever any organisation takes decision, it is being done within some guidelines and norms. Pahlaj ji has been given this charge by the elected government of this country and he is very experienced. I am optimistic that he must have taken the decision as per the norms," Chauhan told ANI in an exclusive interview.
He added, "I am not fully aware about the norms there. We cannot form the complete idea of a film by its trailer. As far as the word Punjab (in the title) is concerned, reports suggest that 70 percent of the youth there indulge in drugs, which is extremely unfortunate.I think as far as the decision of Pahlaj ji and the Censor Board is concerned, they must have taken into account those who do not indulge in the same. But I think the local committee members and Pahlaj ji would better state about the ground realities there."
Responding to a poser on Anurag's recent remark that the picture gets killed if there is even one cut, the 59-year-old actor said the film is made on the imagination of the director, writer and producer.
"But the Censor Board has to decide to what should be shown and what not," he added.
Anurag, yesterday accused Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani of behaving like a "dictator", adding that he had no political pressure to bar the film.
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"Pehlaj Nihlani is behaving like a dictator and it almost feels like you are living in dictatorship, where everybody is telling you what to do and you don't have any right," he said.
However, Bollywood celebrities like Arjun Kapoor, Vikram Bhatt, Karan Johar and Farhan Akhtar among others have extended their support to 'Udta Punjab.'
Co-produced by Phantom Films and Balaji Motion Pictures, 'Udta Punjab,' a highly talked about movie that is being keenly anticipated by a large section of youth, also stars Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh.
It is slated to release on June 17, but is likely to get delayed.