It arrived after an almost four-year-long battle with the censors, but Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj (earlier called Panjab 95) lasted merely two days on Zee5, the streaming platform, before it was taken down inexplicably. On Sunday, the streamer issued a statement saying the Honey Trehan film was no longer available in India, but promised to find ways to get it back. The film’s lead, Diljit, had predicted this might come to pass while interacting with fans the day before the shadow ban. The singer-actor also reacted to the film being made unavailable in India, remembering the late Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose life story the film tells.
Satluj taken down from Zee5, Diljit reacts
On Sunday evening, Zee5 issued a statement informing viewers that Satluj 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.
The film is based on the life and death of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was abducted, tortured, and murdered by members of the Punjab Police in 1995 after he exposed 25000 extrajudicial killings in the state. Diljit plays Khalra in the acclaimed film. Hours after the film was removed, Diljit shared a scene showcasing Khalra’s will to fight. “I challenge the darkness,” he wrote, adding in Punjabi, “Panjab 95 aka Satluj is meeting the same fate as the late Khalra saab.”
When Diljit predicted ‘ban’ on the film
Satluj was a highly controversial film. In 2022, after the film was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the board demanded 120 cuts. A world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival was cancelled as makers challenged the cuts. Eventually, the film was retitled but released uncut on Zee5 as Satluj this Friday. On Saturday, while Diljit interacted with his fans on an Instagram Live session, he was asked if he feared the film would be removed from the platform. The singer-actor responded, “Yes, there is. Just like there was surprise that it came on OTT in the first place. Today is Saturday. I feel it could be taken down by Monday. But no worry, you download it and watch. No issues.”
All about Satluj
In the movie, Dosanjh essays the role of 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.