'Udta Punjab' a very well-made film, says Shyam Benegal

Mumbai, June 8: Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who heads the government-appointed revamp panel of the Central Board of Film Certification's (CBFC), on Wednesday watched the controversial "Udta Punjab" and appreciated it for being "very well-made". A special screening of the movie was organised for Benegal after the censor board suggested 89 cuts to the movie, leading to a battle between co-producer Anurag Kashyap and the CBFC. After the movie's screening, Benegal told media here: "If you ask me technically, it's a very well-made film." Benegal's committee includes as members Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Piyush Pandey, Bhawana Somaaya and Nina Lath Gupta. Sanjay Murthy, Joint Secretary (Films), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is member-convener. Mehra told IANS that the committee's recommendation is that the "scissors" of the censor board must be abolished. Their recommendations were submitted to the government in April.