Satluj arrived on ZEE5 India on July 3, only to be taken down two days later, leaving many viewers surprised. Actor Diljit Dosanjh even urged those who had already downloaded the film to share it with others, saying it now belongs to the audience. Amid this, writer-director Anurag Basu has expressed his opinion on the issue, comparing the setback that Honey is facing with Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who is sentenced to a year in prison.
What Anurag said
Anurag Basu took to his X account and wrote, “#Satluj I never thought a day would come when Honey Trehan would face what Jafar Panahi faced in Iran.”
Anurag has made several feature films in Hindi, including Gangster, Barfi!, Ludo and last year’s Metro in Dino.
About Panahi’s sentence in Iran
In 2025, Iran sentenced Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison and a travel ban over “propaganda activities” against the country. The sentence includes a two-year travel ban and prohibition of Panahi from membership in any political or social groups, lawyer Mostafa Nili told AFP, adding that they would file an appeal. He won the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize last year for It Was Just an Accident, a film in which five ex-inmates contemplate whether to exact revenge on a man they believe to be their former jailer.
In 2010, Panahi was banned from making movies and from leaving the country after supporting mass anti-government protests a year earlier and making a series of films that critiqued the state of modern Iran. Convicted of “propaganda against the system”, he was sentenced to six years in jail but served only two months behind bars before being released on bail.
Meanwhile, Honey remains hopeful that things could turn around, as evidenced by his brief reaction to the shadow ban on his film. On Sunday evening, Zee5 issued a statement informing viewers that the film is no longer available in India. “In light of the current developments, ‘Satluj’ will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity. We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a great deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life. At ZEE5, we stand firmly by ‘Satluj’ and the creative vision behind it. We believe powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact,” the statement said. Hours later, Honey shared the statement on Instagram Stories with a short message in Punjabi: ‘Tera bhana meetha lage (God’s will seems sweet).’
All about Satluj
In the movie, Dosanjh essays the role of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab during a 10-year period from 1984 to 1994, before disappearing 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. 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.