Don't kill creativity: Big B on 'Udta Punjab' row

Kolkata: Speaking on the censorship drama surrounding the Shahid Kapoor-starrer 'Udta Punjab,' Amitabh Bachchan has revealed that he thinks that people from this field should have the freedom to create and their "creativity should not be killed." "I am not quite aware of the issue, but all I can say is that don't try and kill creativity. If you kill creativity, you kill the soul and that is what we have," the 73-year-old actor said at the promotion of his upcoming movie 'Te3n.' He added, "I know that there are rules and regulations. That's something the government has to decide, but as an artist and creative people, all I can say is don't kill creativity." When asked whether or not the censor board should decide what people should watch, the Bollywood Shehansha said that he hopes the system can be revised where the movies are certified rather than censored because using the scissors can kill creativity. "During the course of our time period in the industry, I think that all of us have had problems, where we feel that something should be permissible, but censor board feels it should not be. There are rules and regulations that are set by the government, but there are also facilities for the people who make films to approach and go to higher authority," said Big B. He added, "The only problem comes is that censoring comes almost at the time of the release, when everything is set up. And in that point of time if there is obstacle in the way of getting certification, then it sets you back. That really is bothersome. So, I hope we can revise the system where there is certification, rather than censor because censor tries to kill creativity." Co-produced by Phantom Films and Balaji Motion Pictures, 'Udta Punjab,' a highly talked about movie that is being keenly anticipated by a large section of youth, is based on substance abuse in Punjab. The movie that also stars Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh was slated to release on June 17, but is likely to get delayed.