New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Diljit Dosanjh’s “Satluj”, which details the life of an activist in Punjab in the turbulent 1990s and has been taken off OTT, was at the centre of furious debate on Monday with political parties and the SGPC pushing for the release of the film and the actor-singer asking people to watch it wherever and however they can.
The film, which was stuck with the censors for more than three years, was released uncut on ZEE5 on Friday and removed on Sunday evening. While Dosanjh said this was bound to happen and the film had already been downloaded by many, ZEE5 issued an appeal asking people not to support piracy.
The matter quickly gained political traction with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and the state’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemning the film being dropped from the OTT platform and saying Punjab must confront its past People should know what happened during those days in Punjab, said Kulwant Singh Manan, chief secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
“The film should not have been removed from the platform. The government should ensure that people see this film. What is wrong if reality is shown and public come to know of what happened during those days in Punjab,” Manan told PTI over phone.
The Honey Trehan directed film, originally titled “Punjab ’95”, features Dosanjh as human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra who was abducted in 1995 and never seen after that. The director and actor refused to release it with the 127 cuts suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification. On Friday, the movie quietly arrived on ZEE5 without any cuts but with a different title and zero promotions, which Dosanjh said was because they didn’t want to spoil whatever little chance the film had. Criticising the removal of the film, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “This is not mere censorship, it is an assault on our collective memory, truth, and freedom of expression… Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression.” Senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira echoed him.
“I strongly condemn the removal of Satluj film enacted by Diljit Dosanjh about police brutality in abducting and eliminating Prof Jaswant Singh Khalra, Human Rights activist in 1995.” AAP leader and MP Malvinder Singh Kang said censorship becomes its most dangerous weapon when a nation begins to fear its own history.
In an expansive session on Instagram Live from the US where he is on tour, Dosanjh expressed his anguish.
“I had a feeling on Friday that something like this will happen. This was already on my mind. It is not something to be shocked about (the ban). I thought that it will be banned on Monday when the offices open…
“But I did not have an idea that it will happen on Sunday evening itself. We did not even promote the film, we released it just like that. If we had promoted it, it would not have lasted even two days. But I am satisfied that people have seen the film, it has reached them,” Dosanjh said in Punjabi.
A day after ZEE5 issued a statement to inform viewers that it’s no longer available in India, Dosanjh said he is happy many people have seen the film or downloaded it.
“It was very important that it should reach you and that has happened… I am thankful that what we wanted to say and the way we wanted to say, it has been conveyed. It is your film and you can watch it the way you want to,” he said.
“This was the only way to release the film… without saying anything because this was bound to happen,” he said, adding that the more one tries to stop the film, the more popular it will become as nothing disappears from the internet, not even a voice note sent on Whatsapp.
ZEE5 had a slightly different take.
“We are doing our bit to bring ‘Satluj’ back. Please do yours – don’t support piracy. We remain committed to exploring every possible avenue to bring ‘Satluj’ back to you,” it said in an Instagram post.
On Sunday night, it said, “In light of the current developments, ‘Satluj’ will be unavailable in India until further notice…” The streamer did not specify what it meant by “current developments”, but said the response to the film had been overwhelming and they fully back the creative conviction behind the movie.
“Satluj” delves into the life of Khalra who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab during a 10-year period from 1984 to 1994. He disappeared in 1995.
In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted for his abduction and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced their sentence to life imprisonment.
In 2023, the movie was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was removed from the line-up without any official statement from the organisers.
“Punjab ’95” was slated for worldwide release on February 7, 2025, without any cuts, except in India. But that release also did not happen.
The film is produced by Trehan, Abhishek Chaubey and Ronnie Screwvala, under the banners MacGuffin Pictures and RSVP.
It also features Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles.
The matter found echo on social media.
Comedian Kunal Kamra was one of those who commented, tagging former CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi and saying Khaira had been abducted again, “this time by CBFC”.
Filmmaker Onir questioned the film industry’s silence on the film’s removal from OTT.
“And once again the industry at large is silent about what should alarm us all and it affects us all. How can we surrender our right to tell stories… especially such powerful sensitive stories,” Onir wrote. PTI BK SUN MIN BK MIN MIN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.