Actor Tillotama Shome says the removal of Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj from OTT platform ZEE5 is “heartbreaking” and highlights the continuing challenges to creative freedom in Indian cinema.
Tillotama Shome on Satluj
Based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, premiered on streaming platform ZEE5 on July 3 but was taken down two days later.
Government sources later said the film was taken down because of “security concerns” and obligations under IT Rules 2021.
“It is really tough. It is heartbreaking for a filmmaker to put in so much (hard work). In a democracy, we must have the freedom to watch and not watch. We should be adults about it. It is very heartbreaking to not be able to have the freedom to tell the kind of stories that you want to tell,” Shome told PTI.
“It is not just about ‘Satluj’. This battle and freedom to tell the kind of story, the way we want to tell, has been there since its inception,” Shome added.
About Satluj row
The film, which was earlier titled Punjab ’95, was stuck in the censorship process for over three years and made headlines after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) reportedly sought more than 127 cuts.
On July 3, the film became available on ZEE5 in its original uncut version before being taken down on July 5.
Shome, best known for her work in films and OTT shows like “Sir”, “Lust Stories 2”, “Delhi Crime 2”, and “Pataal Lok 2”, said that filmmaking has always been a complex process.
“When has a film been easy to make? I’ve not experienced it. But I understand that it’s complex, like life, it’s an expensive proposition, there will be many opinions, many considerations, not all of which I’ll understand or respect, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
Despite the challenges, Shome said that the fundamental human need for storytelling cannot be suppressed.
“The struggle to tell a story will keep changing its face. We are mad, we love it so much, that it’s madness, we will continue telling stories and some will be accepted, some will be rejected,” the actor, who features in “Ikka”, said.
Directed by Honey Trehan, “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.
Shome currently stars in Netflix legal thriller “Ikka”, headlined by Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna. The movie, directed by Siddharth P Malhotra, was released on the platform on Friday.