New Delhi: Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj, previously titled Punjab 95, was released after being shelved for five years but was removed from the OTT platform Zee5 just 24 hours later. The film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and the impact of his work on his family. More than a biographical account of what happened in Punjab and neighbouring states in 1995, the film is a portrayal of the human cost of politics.
Reacting to the film’s removal, Diljit said there was nothing to be surprised about. He said he had known since Monday that the film would eventually be removed but had expected the takedown to happen on Monday when offices reopened. That, he said, was why the film was not promoted. Thanking the team and the audience, he said the message they wanted the film to convey had reached people.
“The voice of the people was stopped in 1995, and now in 2026, it is nothing new. This was the only way to release the film, without telling anyone… We have been fighting for five years… We worked very hard,” he said in Punjabi.
Filmmaker Onir expressed solidarity with Diljit by commenting with three raised-fist emojis on the actor’s post, which showed villagers watching the film on a projector screen.
— iamOnir (@IamOnir) July 6, 2026
The internet has since been flooded with reactions to the film’s removal, with many who managed to watch it urging others to do the same.
“Our censor board is far more cowardly and shameless than we think,” Varun Grover, lyricist and filmmaker, posted in Hindi on X.
Saket Gokhale, national spokesperson of the Trinamool Congress, said in an Instagram post that he had written to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union minister for information and broadcasting. In the letter, he said he had been fortunate enough to watch the film and urged Vaishnaw to do the same, arguing that banning it would be a disservice to the country. He added that Satluj is “a gut-punch” for those who are unaware of the events that unfolded in Punjab in 1995.
“It is unfathomable as to why your ministry would choose to ban this powerful film. For long, we have brushed uncomfortable and inconvenient events from our history under the carpet,” the letter read. “While other countries have confronted dark periods of their past through truth and reconciliation, we are unable to even begin to accept and acknowledge that terrible things have happened,” it added.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said he was “shocked and saddened” by the arbitrary removal of Satluj from Zee5 in India.
“A powerful film that courageously unveils Punjab’s painful history and honours the supreme sacrifice of S. Jaswant Singh Khalra cannot be silenced this way.” He added: “This is not mere censorship—it is an assault on our collective memory, truth, and freedom of expression. I strongly condemn this move. Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression.”
Standup comedian Kunal Kamra tagged former CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi in an X post, asking why 127 cuts were recommended for the film Panjab ’95, which released as Satluj on OTT platform Zee5 only to be taken down within two days.
“This sends a very direct message to filmmakers and production companies: if you’re paying homage to a great personality from a minority community, you’ll have to face the CBFC,” he wrote.
The Caravan’s executive editor Hartosh Singh Bal commented on the ban, saying, “it is inconceivable that satluj would’ve been released by ZEE of all organisatiosn without govt consent (in the background BJP wooing diljit). the movie should’ve been out 3 years ago, with all its flaws & strengths. but pulling it out now is just unbelievable.”
Bal is the nephew of KPS Gill, who was the DGP of Punjab during the insurgency period, which the film covers.
He also reasoned why Satluj needs to be seen — “for khalra’s story, but also for how shoddily a) it concocts 25,000 dead…”
Actor Ranvir Shorey also reacted to the film’s removal.
“Utterly disappointing to hear Satluj had been pulled! Have been waiting to watch it! For a land that has an ancient history and heritage of learning from stories, I don’t know why we keep emboldening a culture of burning them,” he posted on X.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress MLA from Bholath constituency in Punjab, condemned the removal of Satluj in an X post.
“The film is based on true facts that were upheld by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India while convicting the guilty free officer,” he wrote.
One viewer wrote: “Even though I was not born in that era, it felt like I was there. I watched all the events unfold, and I hope Diljit Dosanjh acts in more films like this so the new generation can know what our ancestors went through.”
Although the film is no longer available on Zee5, one user uploaded the full film on X, while several others shared Google Drive and other download links on the platform.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)