Udaipur Files Release Update: CBFC Says 'Offending' Scenes Removed From Vijay Raaz's Film, Delhi HC Orders Special Screening

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) informed the Delhi High Court on Wednesday (July 9) that certain objectionable portions in the film Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder, starring veteran actor Vijay Raaz and based on the murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli in Udaipur, have been removed from the film's final cut.

The submission was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind's President Maulana Arshad Madani, who sought a ban on the film. According to a report in Bar and Bench, the matter was heard by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal on Wednesday.

The court recorded CBFC's statement that specific cuts were proposed prior to certifying the film and that those edits have been implemented. The producer's counsel also confirmed that the necessary modifications have been made.

HC orders special screening of film

Following this, the court directed the film's producer to arrange a special screening of both the movie and its trailer for the appearing counsels - Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Madani, and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, representing the CBFC.

About the controversial movie

Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder is based on the murder of a 40-year-old man in Rajasthan on June 28, 2022, for allegedly commenting on Prophet Muhammad on social media.

Kanhaiya Lal Teli was allegedly targeted after he shared a social media post supporting a comment made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma about Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate. He was brutally murdered inside his shop by two men, while their accomplices recorded the act on video.

Police arrested four individuals, two of whom have since been granted bail. Several others named in the FIR remain absconding.

Directed by Bharat S Shrinate and produced by Amit Jani, the film also stars Rajniesh Duggal, Preeti Jhangiani, Kamlesh Sawant, Kanchi Singh, Mushtaq Khan, Ehsaan Khan, Puneet Vashistha, Manoj Bakshi, Gagandeep Singh, Sandeep Bose and others. It is scheduled to release on July 11.