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Queuing up at an ATM and waiting for your turn isn’t something to get pissed about. Standing in a queue is how democracy works. But when you have waited for half an hour behind 20 odd people, and found the<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> ATM screen </a>displaying ‘No Cash’ the moment you entered the cubicle, would make <keyword id="62146" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Censor-Board">Censor Board</keyword> chairman <keyword id="15361" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pahlaj-Nihalani">Pahlaj Nihalani</keyword> censor the blue screen saver of ATM machine, had he been here. 
 Ever since <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword>’s policy on demonetization has been announced, normal life has been paralysed. The earlier reform moves might have been criticized by the political parties, but this is the first time ever, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Modi</a>’s decision has hit the common masses directly. The decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes have disrupted businesses, offices like never before. Earlier any shop would search for excuses to refuse change of Rs 500 when you buy stuff for Rs 200 or less. And now they have a legal excuse. Visit a government office other than bank or post office in a suburban town in any state, employees have found a new excuse of bunking office. They are justifying their absence for 3 hours by saying, they don’t have money so needed to visit <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">bank </a>and stand in queue. 
 
Well, you might say that these all can be ignored for greater good. But as reported by an esteemed regional newspaper in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Bengal</a>, businessmen with black money are paying jobless youths Rs 300 to stand on queue and exchange money. The only qualification required is having a bank account. So black money can be whitewashed. 
 
It’s easy for people with an ATM or debit card and a Smartphone to justify the move. Social media is exploding with Ola and Uber drivers ‘sacrificing’ for the country, but what the netizens are forgetting is a driver partner with any of the app based cab service is well off than many people. They earn better than many freshers. 
 While the Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> has requested time till 30th of December, finance minister <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword> didn’t sound very confident when indicating ATM normalcy to be restored within 3 weeks. When lack of clarity gets blended with uncertainty, the result is horrific. And that’s exactly what you can see in front of banks and ATMs. 
 
Delivery pain of a new born is suffered by its mother. But when a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">nation-changing revolutionary</a> step is taken, unfortunately the pain is seeping down to the ever-suffering people who don’t own <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">ATM card</a>, smartphone and in worst cases bank accounts. Two-third of India’s population doesn’t know what Grofers means or what Cash on Delivery is. Even urban population has people who have never been to ATM. It’s not that they can’t but illiteracy is largely responsible for it. In remote villages of <keyword id="30033" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar">Bihar</keyword>, <keyword id="6356978" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengal">Bengal</keyword>, <keyword id="6354915" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Assam">Assam</keyword>, <keyword id="43945" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chhattisgarh">Chhattisgarh</keyword>, <keyword id="6355554" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhya-Pradesh">Madhya Pradesh</keyword>, Rajasthan going to bank means spending Rs 20-30 and wasting 3 hours of time. And people who get paid Rs 400 everyday going to bank would mean skipping dinner for the day. 
 It’s assumed that the reform doesn’t end here. The next step would be making all transactions cashless i.e. card, e-wallet and cheque payment. For us, who live in big cities, flaunt coupons to buy pizzas and Promo codes to book cabs, life wouldn’t change much. But for the migrating labour coming from Bihar to work in Delhi NCR, the migrating maid from <keyword id="13126" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</keyword> to Bangalore, the migrating security guards from <keyword id="41646" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Haryana">Haryana</keyword> to Chennai, this change wouldn’t be as easy. 
 
For beginning a new journey, Modi should have made sure that the<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> co-passengers</a> have also put on their seat belt and the tray of Rs 500 notes in ATM machine has been properly fitted.

Demonetisation: Here's why Modi should have looked before he
took the leap

When Indian censor board chief <keyword id="15361" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pahlaj-Nihalani">Pahlaj Nihalani</keyword> accused Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap of taking money from the Aam Aadmi Party (<keyword id="6356115" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="AAP">AAP</keyword>) for making <keyword id="6356850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Udta-Punjab">Udta Punjab</keyword> to show the State in bad light, he must have not realised it would boomerang. 
 
The whole controversy surrounding Bollywood movie Udta Punjab, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh, has knowingly or unknowingly worked in the favour of the AAP. 
 
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “It is a joke that Nihalani thinks AAP will give Anurag Kashyap money to make a film just to show BJP-SAD in a bad light. One need not go that far. It is all out in the open anyway. Drug abuse in Punjab is a harsh reality, and we are not supporting Kashyap here so much as we are backing the issue.” 
 
The accusations made by the censor board chief, which were rubbished by Anurag Kashyap, has given political plank to AAP for Punjab assembly elections in 2017-Drug menace. 
 
It is likely that AAP will give voice to the undertones of Punjab, who want to get rid of the menace, which has consumed many lives, taking away sole breadwinners from the families. 
 
AAP had surprised everyone in 2014 Lok Sabha polls by winning four seats in the lower house, and they were from Punjab. 
 
Since then, AAP has been making all efforts to cement its position in Punjab and derail SAD-BJP alliance. 
 
However, this is not the first time the AAP attacked the state government. In previous instances too, AAP leaders have openly accused Punjab Cabinet Ministers of being ‘drug lords’. 
 
“In the past, Sukhbir Badal has denied any drug menace in Punjab and his Cabinet Minister Surjit Jiyani has ruled out even a single drug-addict in the state, but on the other hand, Chief Minister Parkash Badal announced the opening of the country’s first Women Rehab Centre for de-addiction in the state,” AAP MP Bhagwant Mann had said. 
 
He also alleged that Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikramjit Majithia was a drug lord. 
 
Then, Majithia had filed a defamation case against the AAP leaders, including chief Arvind Kejriwal. 
 
In response to the defamation case, Bhagwant Mann said, “Badals should visit Maqbool Pura of Amritsar and Sur Singh village of Tarn Taran to assess how drugs ruined several families.” 
 
He has spoken the truth. 
 
The situation in Maqboolpura is very grim, as the village is now known as the ‘village of widows’. Families residing in the village say there is hardly any male member who is not affected by the drug menace and most of them have died. 
 
A study by Social Security Development of Women and Children department stated that 67 percent households in Punjab have at least one person addicted to drugs. The Narcotics Bureau stated that nearly 40 percent men in Punjab are hooked to drugs. 
 
Well, Kejriwal could gain ground in Punjab, dismantling the Punjab government. Only time will tell.

Pahlaj Nihalani has ‘officially’ sounded the Punjab Assembly 2017 elections’ bugle

The Supreme Court of India refused to stay release on Bollywood movie <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=udta+punjab&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Udta Punjab</a>, while hearing a petition filed by a Punjab-based NGO. 
 The NGO- Human Rights Awareness Association-had moved the Apex Court to halt the screening of <keyword id="6356850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Udta-Punjab">Udta Punjab</keyword>, which addresses drug menace issue in the State. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/See-how-drugs-are-smuggled-into-Punjab-from-Pakistan-and-what-is-the-reality-of-its-destruction-in-the-State/articleshow/52686791.cms">See how drugs are smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan and what is the reality of its destruction in the State</a> 
 
The vacation bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and L. Nageswara Rao has asked the NGO to approach Punjab &amp; Haryana High Court. 
 
Udta Punjab, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh, was mired in controversy after the censor board has asked for 13 cuts and issued an A-certificate. 
 
Then, Udta Punjab’s makers including director Anurag Kashyap had approached Bombay High Court, which directed for movie’s release with just one cut and ‘A’ certificate. 
 
The NGO then moved the Supreme Court saying that Bombay High Court cannot rule on what cuts can be made in a film, adding the film depicted Punjab in a negative vein. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Udta-Punjab-will-be-released-with-just-ONE-cut-and-A-certificate/articleshow/52728825.cms">Udta Punjab will be released with just ONE cut and A-certificate</a> 
 
Meanwhile, there were reports that the unedited version of Udta Punjab were released online and the cyber cell is looking into the issue. 
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, in a tweet, asked for support to free speech and not opt for pirates and piracy win. 
 
The film is slated for release on June 17.

Supreme Court clears release of Udta Punjab

Coming out against the growing menace of the <keyword id="62146" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Censor-Board">censor board</keyword>, veteran film-maker <keyword id="29916" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shyam-Benegal">Shyam Benegal</keyword> has said that he personally does not believe in <keyword id="6425075" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Censorship">censorship</keyword> of creativity and that it should be banned. 
 
Benegal, 80, best known for his movies like "Ankur", "Bhumika", "Junoon", "Nishant" and credited with bringing alternative cinema in the '70s, said the current scenario with the censor board is not very pleasing. 
 Censor board chief <keyword id="15361" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Pahlaj-Nihalani">Pahlaj Nihalani</keyword> has been criticised on social media as well as by his colleagues and Bollywood actors after it was revealed that board had shortened the length of kissing scenes in James Bond movie "<keyword id="302094" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="SPECTRE">Spectre</keyword>". 
 
"In one word, I would say abolish censorship. I personally don't believe in censorship. I am concerned about the imposition of censorship here, which has no real purpose except to come in the way of you expression. That's the kind of censorship I oppose," Benegal said on the sidelines of IFFI. 
 
"There is a certain amount of debate going on in the press about censorship and chairman and how it does not appeal to large number of people. This kind of thing does not make sense. It has no place." 
 
Benegal said filmmakers can try and get out of these tricky censorship situations in the country by adopting novel techniques. 
 
"People creatively can bypass censorship and they do that. When it comes to matters of sex, there are ways and means the filmmakers use to go past censorship. Without the censor even being aware of what is happening. This happens," Benegal said. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Filmmaker
Shyam Benegal joins the fight against the censor board, says 'Abolish
censorship'

<keyword id="6356850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Udta-Punjab">Udta Punjab</keyword>, an upcoming Bollywood movie on drug issue in the northern state of India, has become a debatable topic whether artists and movie directors have right to freedom of expression or not. 
 The Indian <keyword id="62146" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Censor-Board">censor board</keyword>, Central Board of Film Certification, has demanded 89 cuts in the movie and has asked the movie to be released with an ‘A’ certification. 
 
Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani has come under the limelight, who even asked the filmmakers to drop the word ‘Punjab’ from the movie’s title. 
 However, director of the movie <keyword id="7929" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anurag-Kashyap">Anurag Kashyap</keyword> has refused to make the cuts, saying when the movie is already getting an ‘A’ certificate, why there is a need to make cuts and drop the state’s name. 
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		It's my fight Vs a dictatorial man sitting there operating like an oligarch in his constituency of censor board, that's my North Korea
	— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) <a href="https://twitter.com/anuragkashyap72/status/740069384325058560">June 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
Now, the producers of the movie, which is slated to release on June 17, have moved the Bombay High Court and a decision is pending on the same. The Bollywood fraternity has also come in support of the movie, demanding Nihalani’s resignation, who even alleged that Kashyap had taken money from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for showing Punjab in bad light. 
 
Amidst the tussle between Udta Punjab makers and the censor board, the moviegoers say the issue is serious and people should decide what to watch and what not to. 
 
The entire episode of censorship has become a joke as twitterati are mocking Nihalai and supporting the film fraternity. 
 
Here’s what they have to say: 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Deep insight: If CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani were to judge some of FTII head Gajendra Chauhan's movies, he would order dozens of cuts
	— Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) <a href="https://twitter.com/madversity/status/740497121430933505">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pahlaj Nihalani deserves a statue at Tussaud's. Only that the wax should be poured on him.
	— The Cult of Bajirao (@bizzarebhide) <a href="https://twitter.com/bizzarebhide/status/740490978377797633">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pahlaj Nihalani had a problem with kissing scenes in Spectre. It's a wonder the man has children.
	— lindsay pereira (@lindsaypereira) <a href="https://twitter.com/lindsaypereira/status/740487954498347008">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		The only thing that needs to be banned is Pahlaj Nihalani from CBFC. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UdtaPunjab?src=hash">#UdtaPunjab</a>
	— Ragnar (@PshycoPaaji) <a href="https://twitter.com/PshycoPaaji/status/736447958116245506">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Sad to see director like anurag kashyap getting in tussle with censorship and Punjab government.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UdtaKejriFundsUdtaPunjab?src=hash">#UdtaKejriFundsUdtaPunjab</a>
	— Dippak ✍ (@DippakMehrotra) <a href="https://twitter.com/DippakMehrotra/status/740509281401765888">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pahlaj Nihalani is Kejriwal 2.0!
	— @BH! (@gunjanabhishek_) <a href="https://twitter.com/gunjanabhishek_/status/740514982501093376">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		A question that will haunt 31% of Indian electorates for a few days at least - “Who appointed this gem Pahlaj Nihalani as CBFC Chairman？”
	— Nitin Chavan (@a20nitin) <a href="https://twitter.com/a20nitin/status/740513570710945793">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Kashyap like a child being denied a toy: Nihalani 
		And Pahlaj Nihalani is acting as if he's the Father of <a href="https://twitter.com/anuragkashyap72">@anuragkashyap72</a>
	— Munim Aslam (@iammunimaslam) <a href="https://twitter.com/iammunimaslam/status/740513280121180160">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Just when we thought Pahlaj Nihalani can't get any Lower, he proved us wrong. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PaidTrendAgainstUdtaPunjab?src=hash">#PaidTrendAgainstUdtaPunjab</a> <a href="https://t.co/v7ABEdx1Y9">pic.twitter.com/v7ABEdx1Y9</a>
	— Sandip Pawar (@SachinistSandy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SachinistSandy/status/740512520201342977">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

#UdtaPunjab’s censorship is a national joke now. This is what people are saying

<ul><li>The stand-in finance minister <keyword id="6355222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="piyush-goyal">Piyush Goyal</keyword> took time in the middle of his speech to praise a recent blockbuster, <keyword id="71431" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uri">Uri</keyword>. </li><li> “Single window clearance for ease of shooting films, available only to foreigners, is now going to be made available to Indian filmmakers as well,” Goyal said. </li><li>Modi government’s affair with Bollywood is a recent phenomenon. </li></ul>Budget 2019 had, possibly, the maximum reference to Indian showbiz of all the finance bills presented in the country’s history. To start with, the stand-in finance minister Piyush Goyal took time in the middle of his speech to praise a recent blockbuster, Uri, which glorified the Narendra Modi government’s decision to conduct ‘surgical strikes’ into Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. He then went on to solicit Bollywood’s love with a change in rule, which should not have been there in the first place. “Single window clearance for ease of shooting films, available only to foreigners, is now going to be made available to Indian filmmakers as well,” Goyal said. And that was not all. He also said that “regulatory provisions will rely more 14 on self-declaration. We will also introduce anti-camcording provisions in the Cinematograph Act to control the menace of piracy.” Goyal also highlighted how the government pushed for a lower tax on cinema tickets through the GST (goods and services tax) Council. Let’s look at how the relationship has evolved in the last four and a half years. It’s showtime Modi government’s affair with Bollywood is a recent phenomenon. In fact, in the first three years of the regime, the government’s relationship with the film industry was rather tenuous. One of the government’s appointees, the former chairman of the film certification board, the CBFC, Pahlaj Nihalani was a big thorn in the flesh for the country’s film industry. He infamously took the moral high ground and censored multiple films, most famously Anurag Kashyap’s Udta Punjab. Even after the Bombay High Court <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/udta-punjab-latest-dveelopment-cbfc-bombay-high-court-verdict-censor-board-13840-2016-06-13">struck down</a> the CBFC demand for cuts in the film, Nihalani <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/06/14/pahlaj-nihalani_n_10451088.html">said</a> , “the door for films with obscene and vulgar content.” Despite the fans’ anger and the industry’s anguish, he remained the chief of the ‘censor board’, as CBFC is colloquially known in India, for 2 years, while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP-l_JY2Vng">he intermittently flattered the </a>government and the prime minister. Not just the working professionals in Bollywood, the government faced a severe backlash from the students of cinema too. In 2017, Gajendra Chauhan’s appointment as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), triggered <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-with-gajendra-chauhan/">a huge uproar</a>. Students <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/ftii-students-call-off-hunger-strike-to-attend-classes-wont-engage-with-govt/">went on a protest</a>, that even turned violent for a bit, saying Chauhan was qualified to lead a reputed institution like the FTII. The students, who alleged that Chauhan’s appointment was a political move and not based on merit, found vindication when Chauhan <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/im-a-bjp-soldier-will-do-whatever-is-assigned-gajendra-chauhan-4553227/">said</a>, “I am a BJP soldier and I will do whatever is assigned any duty assigned to me.” However, things turned for the better in 2018. Firstly, the new CBFC chief, the accomplished writer and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, has cannily handled the two divergent groups-- the government and the film industry. Secondly, some members of the film industry also served the government well. Two films released towards the end of 2018 were just what prime minister wanted, months before seeking re-election. The first film, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/accidental-prime-minister-is-at-the-epicenter-of-a-massive-political-controversy-in-india-just-with-its-trailer-launch/articleshow/67286606.cms">The Accidental Prime Minister</a>, was based on a revelatory book about all the corruption scandals of the previous government led by the Congress. It was the country’s first biopic made on a living prime minister, and showed the Manmohan Singh administration in poor light, and deservedly so, as many would argue. However, that government was voted out in 2014. The other movie of 2018, which helped the cause of the Narendra Modi government, was the slick story of border conflict, Uri. <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/budget-2019-piyush-goyal-all-praise-for-uri-in-parliament-says-the-josh-was-unmatched/articleshow/67789368.cms">The movie was a hit</a>,and it allowed the government to revive nationalistic sentiments that are directly proportional to the amount of hate for Pakistan. A little gratitude for pliable filmmakers was probably in order. Who knows, others may fall in line too. See also : <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2019-live-updates/liveblog/67784324.cms">Budget 2019 Highlights and News Live: Proposal: no tax on income up to ₹5 lakhs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/explainer-the-modi-governments-pension-scheme-for-informal-workers/articleshow/67790926.cms">Explained: The Modi government’s pension scheme for informal workers</a>

Modi government’s new found love for Indian Cinema

In a major embarrassment to the censor board, the Bombay High Court ruled that the blanket ban on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=udta+punjab&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Udta Punjab</a> was interfering with the creative freedom and was not justified. 
 
Giving out the verdict, the high court said the movie can be released with just one cut and ‘A’ certification. The court stated that censor board cannot act like a grandmother and has to change with times. 
 
The court has asked the filmmakers to delete the urination scene from the movie. 
 
Earlier in the day, after reading the script, the Bombay High Court had stated that Udta Punjab was not supporting drugs and did not question India’s sovereignty or integrity. 
 
The court strongly remarked that they it did not find the film question sovereignty or integrity of India by the names of cities, reference to state or by a signpost. 
 
India’s censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani had asked for 13 cuts in the movie and told the filmmakers to remove the word ‘Punjab’ from the movie. 
 
“All characters show facets of drug menace, nothing to harm state's sovereignty. The board should use power as per Constitution and Supreme Court's direction. Udta Punjab' movie is depicting drugs menace in Punjab,” the court ruled. 
 
The court also reminded Nihalani that his job was to certify films not censor them. 
 
"The CBFC is not required by law to censor. The word "censor" is not in the Cinematograph Act. Therefore, if by law the board is empowered to make cuts and deletions in that power it must exercise it consist with constitutional guarantees," the court said. 
 
Udta Punjab’s makers had moved the court over cuts. 
 
Meanwhile, Bollywood director Abhishek Chaubey said he was massively relieved that the film was releasing on the scheduled date. 
 
Udta Punjab’s co-producer Madhu Mantena Verma said, “This judgement is for the whole film industry, it is not only for us. It is awesome.” 
 
Udta Punjab starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh is scheduled to release on June 17. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Udta Punjab will be released with just ONE cut and A-certificate

Hands that should be ploughing the fields, minds that should be busy in shaping the future of the country are busy injecting lethal cocktail of drugs, rolling up joints, sniffing it up, thereby damaging the brain irreparably. 
 
As you dig deeper, the drug menace in Punjab also gets dirtier, revealing shocking facts how the drugs enter the northern Indian state and how it is ruining the youth of the nation. 
 
Thanks to the controversy surrounding Bollywood movie Udta Punjab, which addresses the issue, and special thanks to censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani that the issue of drug menace is now being talked about everywhere. 
 
The severity of the drug problem can be gauged from the statistics that point out that 50 per cent of the drug-related cases in India are from Punjab alone. 
 
As per the Punjab Opioid Dependence Survey (PODS), about 76% opioid dependent individuals in Punjab are in the age group of 18 to 35 years. The worst affected regions are Bathinda, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur and Tarn Taran. 
 
The most common opioid drug used by this group is heroin. Another village, which is on the outskirts of holy city of Amritsar, Maqboolpura has earned the sobriquet of ‘Village of Widows’ as almost every household here has lost breadwinners due to drugs. 
 
One of the main reasons behind this growing menace is Punjab’s proximity to the Golden Crescent- Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, which are known to be the world’s largest producers of opium. 
 
Meanwhile, the fight against drugs is not easy in Punjab. The number of drug de-addiction centres may be rising but there is no break in the supply chain. 
 
To further understand the story, a documentary-GLUT: The Untold Story of Punjab-is a must watch. 
 
The documentary by Smaran Sahu will reveal how deep-rooted is the issue and what are the challenges that the society is facing. 
 
The documentary also throws light on how youth staying near border areas, in the presence of security forces, get SIM cards, coordinate with peddlers and get the drug. 
 
It is just a matter of few hours and a person sitting in Delhi will get what he/she wants and there is no trail left. 
 
 
Watch the documentary here: 
 
 
 
 
(Video: YouTube)

See how drugs are smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan and what is the reality of its destruction in the State

<keyword id="6367269" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="aligarh">Aligarh</keyword>, the upcoming movie based on the life, and death, of <keyword id="44216" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aligarh-Muslim-University">Aligarh Muslim University</keyword> professor <keyword id="3228864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dr-Shrinivas-Ramchandra-Siras">Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras</keyword>, has been in news recently over the director <keyword id="4684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hansal-Mehta">Hansal Mehta</keyword> expressing disappointment over the A rating that the censor board has given to the movie.

	However, censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani has termed this as a cheap way to promote the movie, saying that a movie based on homosexuality was bound to be given an Adult rating.

	Talking about the movie, it gives us a glimpse of the life of Dr. Siras, who was suspended from his job as a professor of Marathi at AMU, because of his sexual orientation.
 After winning the case against the University, Siras died in suspicious circumstances. While a National Award winning actor <keyword id="15439" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manoj-Bajpai">Manoj Bajpai</keyword> plays the role of Siras, another national award winning actor <keyword id="1946388" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajkummar-Rao">Rajkummar Rao</keyword> plays a journalist who takes it upon himself to bring the case into the eyes of everyone.

	Talking of Dr. Siras, the Marathi Doctorate became a professor at AMU in 1998. Married for almost 20 years, Siras ended up getting divorced after a long separation.

	It was in 2010 that two men forced their way into Siras' house and caught him having consensual sex with another man, a rickshaw puller. After this, he was suspended by AMU, which claimed "gross misconduct'' on his part. He filed a case in the Allahabad High Court on 1 April 2010, which he went on to win because of the involvement of students in the case, and the fact that homosexuality was not a crime in India back then. 
	 
	

	However, on 7 April 2010, Siras died suspiciously in his apartment, a day before he was to get the official letter to revoke his suspension and get back his job.

	Prima facia, the case was thought to be that of a suicide, but post-mortem reports showed some traces of poison in his body, because of which six people were arrested, and three journalists and four AMU officials were thought to be behind the crime.

	However, lack of evidence forced the police to shut down the case.

	The plot looks interesting enough for a Bollywood movie, and the acting caliber of both Bajpai and Rao make it a must watch. The movie has been screened at various international film festivals, winning accolades all over.

	Adult rating or not, the movie proves the fact that Indian cinema is finally changing, and this time, for good.

	Catch the trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JezwsQKpXuU">here</a>. 
	 
	<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sdDafE2WSF4/S75TQr28UaI/AAAAAAAAASg/_PAR0oeWyiE/s1600/siras1.jpg">Image source</a>

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