In politics, especially during elections, timing is of importance. Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, in trying to be ‘more loyal than the king’, has managed to cheese off not only the film fraternity, which has come out against him in a rare show of unity, but also the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP dispensation in Punjab, with his utterances and actions on the Hindi film, Udta Punjab .
In a pre-election year, Nihalani’s stance that the film is anti-Punjab and the long list of cuts proposed, have not only riled some board members, but is sure to have left SAD-BJP fuming. For, with one ill-timed stroke, he has successfully made the drug problem in Punjab a poll issue, at least for now — something the Congress and AAP have been striving hard to do.
Thanks to Nihalani, the issue has now become a topic of national debate in the mainstream print media, as also on prime time television. The debate is not just restricted to muzzling creativity and freedom of expression, but also focuses on the State government’s inaction that led to the problem getting out of hand. According to one estimate, almost 70 per cent of Punjab’s youth struggle with drug abuse.
Facing anti-incumbency in the Assembly polls due next year, the last thing the ruling SAD-BJP government would have wanted is news cameras and reporters panning out across Punjab for ground reports on the drug problem, backed up by figures and socio-political analyses. Nihalani provided the icing on the cake by alleging that AAP had funded the film. Predictably, AAP, a serious contender in the forthcoming polls, jumped into the debate, held a press conference, and declared him a ‘stooge’ acting under political pressure from SAD-BJP.
Then came another gem from Nihalani, who declared that he was proud to be a “ chamcha ” (sycophant) of Narendra Modi! No wonder the SAD-BJP combine is snorting in anger, the Congress and AAP are sniffing in delight, while the audience awaits the film’s release, without the cuts.
Senior Deputy Editor