‘Stop making us soft targets’: Anurag Kashyap

New Delhi : A day after stating that the Bombay High Court’s decision on ‘Udta Punjab’ was the ‘victory of democracy’, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap today said that the people should stop indulging in blame games.

“Somewhere we are the soft targets and we should stop somewhere and say, stop making us soft targets. It is very easy to pick anything against someone and start blame game,” he said.

Anurag, who was locked in a tussle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to allow the release of ‘Udta Punjab’, said removing board’s chairman Pahlaj Nihalani is not a solution, adding there is a need to change the system.

“Obviously we have humongous problems with Mr. Nihalani. But if he goes who will come in and what is the guarantee that the one who will come in will not interpret the existing act and the law in the same way or may be worse or better way. The whole system needs an overall (scrutiny), not just Mr. Pahlaj Nihalani needs to be replaced,” he said.

Anurag, however, expressed hope that a change would be made soon.

“We need to change the system. But from Arun Jaitley and Rajyavardhan Rathore’s recent statements, we hope that change is coming soon,” he added.

The 43-year-old filmmaker also thanked the film industry for its support and said that it should always come together on issues like this.

“I think we as an industry should fight it as it is even for the films in future. The industry always needs to come together, this time it did and stood as one,” he said.

The Bombay High Court yesterday cleared the release of ‘ Udta Punjab’, whose makers were locked in a dispute with the CBFC, with just one cut.

The other cuts ordered by the CBFC in the movie was struck down by the High Court.

The bench refused to stay its order on a plea made by the CBFC counsel to enable the board to appeal against it in the Supreme Court, saying the filmmakers have already spent a lot on the movie and its promotion and distribution.

Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films, the co-producers of the movie, agreed to cut out a scene in which the lead actor Shahid Kapoor urinates into the audience during a rock concert.

They also agreed to add to the disclaimer that “neither the film maker, nor the actors support the use of expletives and abusive language by any section of the society.”(ANI)