Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh says the ban on his film "Satluj"—which was quietly released on ZEE5 without any cuts on Friday and then taken down just two days later—was inevitable and something he had anticipated, though he expected it to happen on Monday when offices reopened.
Directed by Honey Trehan, the film stars Dosanjh as human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was abducted in 1995 and subsequently disappeared.
Initially titled "Punjab '95", the movie remained stalled at the censor board for over three years. Both the director and the lead actor declined to release it with the 127 cuts proposed by the Central Board of Film Certification.
"Today is Sunday but it must be Monday in India. It is Sunday evening at my place. I had a feeling on Friday that something like this will happen. This was already on my mind. It is not something to be shocked about (the ban). I thought that it will be banned on Monday when the offices open,"
Diljit Dosanjh, Instagram Live
However, Opposition parties and Sikh bodies in Punjab have criticised the move to pull Satluj from the OTT platform. They argue that the film forces India to face one of the nation’s darkest periods, insisting that this history be addressed with honesty rather than concealed through censorship.
The unequivocally condemn the removal of ‘Satluj’, calling it an attack on free expression and an attempt to bury Punjab’s turbulent past.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal expressing his discomfort over the removal of the film 'Satluj' from Zee5 in a post on X wrote, "Shocked and saddened by the arbitrary removal of #Satluj from #ZEE5 in India.
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.
Similarly, Kulwant Singh Manan, chief secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SPGC), asserted that people should know what happened during those days in Punjab. He says, The film shows incidents related to fake encounters that took place during that period, and urged all youngsters to watch this film.
The film, initially titled "Punjab 95" and inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, premiered in India on the streaming platform ZEE5 last Friday. Yet, it was removed from the service just two days after its release.
