Honey Trehan’s Satluj, formerly titled Punjab ‘95 took over three years to see the light of day. Hours after the Diljit Dosanjh film was released on Zee5, it was taken down. In the week since then, it has been screened publicly in places such as Punjab and Jammu. An advocate has now filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take action against those conducting these illegal screenings. (Also Read: Satluj movie review: Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal film recounts harrowing tale from Punjab ‘95 that’s a punch to the gut)
Petition filed in HC about screening Satluj
Advocate Vineet Jindal posted a copy of the petition he filed in the HC against the public screenings of Satluj on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He wrote, “By this Letter petition before the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, I am seeking appropriate action against individuals, religious organisations, and political parties involved in organising illegal public screenings of the film. Such screenings are allegedly being used to promote violence and spread hatred against a community as well as the security agencies,” while posting it.
He also added, “These illegal acts pose a serious threat to peace, public order, and communal harmony in the State of Punjab. I have, therefore, sought appropriate directions to prevent such unlawful screenings and to ensure that those responsible are proceeded against in accordance with law.” The lawyer also spoke out against these screenings in a video, pointing out that it was illegal to screen a film that had not been cleared for release. He also urged the HC and the police to file FIRs and take strict action against those who are screening Satluj without due process.
Zee5 on Satluj takedown
Satluj was released on Zee5 on July 3 and was removed from the platform by July 5. The OTT platform released a statement addressing the takedown. A portion of it read: “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. Our commitment to creators and to stories told with conviction, artistic integrity and purpose remains unwavering.”
The platform also released a note urging the audience not to stream or screen Satluj illegally, stating they’re trying their best to bring the film back to the platform. However, while the film was initially taken down from streaming only in India, Honey confirmed to SCREEN on Saturday that it has also been taken down internationally. Satluj is based on the life and death of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.