Sharp controversy and outrage has followed the removal of the Punjabi film “Satluj” from OTT platform ZEE5’s Indian catalog. Streaming for Indian audiences was halted just 48 hours after release. The film, based on the life of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, stars popular actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh in the lead role.
Diljit Dosanjh himself has sharply condemned the film’s sudden removal. Venting his frustration on social media, he wrote: “I challenge this darkness. No one can silence Khalra Sahib’s voice.”
In an interview with entertainment magazine Variety India, Diljit Dosanjh described the film as one of the most meaningful projects of his career. “Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra Ji’s sacrifice and his contribution to humanity were the main reasons I joined this film. I tried to portray this character with the utmost honesty, dedication and respect,” he had said.
Dosanjh had anticipated the film might be pulled from Indian OTT platforms. In an Instagram Live last Saturday, he told fans: “I feel the film might be taken down by Monday. But don’t worry — download it.”
Sharing a video clip on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday of an open-air public screening of the film using a projector in Rajasthan, Dosanjh wrote in Punjabi: “Hun ni rukni film. Khalra Sahib di awaaz nu koi ni daba sakda” (meaning: this film cannot be stopped now. No one can silence Khalra Sahib’s voice).
What does ZEE5 say?
Directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh and Arjun Rampal, the film depicts the struggle to identify and give proper last rites to thousands of people who disappeared and were extrajudicially killed by Punjab police between 1984 and 1994.
The film is still available outside India on the “ZEE5 Global” platform, but it has been removed from the Indian catalog. In an official statement, ZEE5 said: “The audience response to ‘Satluj’ since its release has been truly overwhelming. We stand firmly behind the film’s creative vision… however, given the current situation, streaming of the film in India will remain suspended until further notice. We are working to bring the film back to Indian audiences as soon as possible through the appropriate legal process.”
Sharp anger in political circles
The film’s removal has caused an uproar in Punjab’s political arena. Political parties are calling it a major blow to freedom of expression.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a post: “This is a shameless assault on our collective memory, truth and freedom of expression. Punjab should be allowed to confront its painful history — suppressing it is not the solution.”
Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira demanded the film be immediately restored to the OTT platform, saying the human rights violations depicted in the film are consistent with court rulings.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Malvinder Singh Kang directly criticized the central BJP government, saying: “By blocking this film, the BJP has revealed its true face. Their historical fear of Punjab’s truth being exposed has become clear once again.”
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan told news agency PTI that the public has the right to watch this film about Punjab’s period of militancy and form their own opinions about it.
Three years of censorship complications
The film’s OTT release was not easy. Originally titled “Ghallughara” (a term referring to historical massacres of Sikhs), the film was first submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for approval in 2022. At the time, the board ordered 127 scenes cut and asked that the film be renamed “Punjab ’95.”
The producers initially appealed the decision at the Bombay High Court before later withdrawing the appeal. After three years of complications, and following its removal from its premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the film finally released on ZEE5 in India as “Satluj” on July 3.
Director Honey Trehan said in an interview that, after all attempts at a theatrical release failed, the OTT release was planned in strict secrecy. After a long delay from the censor board with no clear reason given, the film’s producers chose to release it directly on OTT without a censor certificate. Diljit Dosanjh also claimed the film was streamed on the OTT platform without any cuts.
Why do Jaswant Singh Khalra and this film matter so much?
The film is based on a bloody chapter in Punjab’s history. Sikh rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra uncovered the mystery of nearly 25,000 bodies secretly cremated as unidentified by Punjab police in the 1990s. His investigation brought to light the involvement of hundreds of police officers.
In 1995, Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted from in front of his home and later killed in police custody. Following an investigation by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Punjab and Haryana High Court sentenced four police officers to life imprisonment in 2007 for their involvement in the abduction and killing.
The film’s removal from Indian OTT platforms has reignited debate over “double standards” and biased censorship in India’s film industry.
Critics are asking why right-wing, politically controversial films such as “The Kashmir Files” (2022), “The Kerala Story” (2023) or “The Bengal Files” (2025) are shown and streamed without obstruction, while a human rights film based on real events in Punjab is being kept from Indian audiences behind a wall of censorship.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report