Based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, the controversial film Punjab 95 was stuck with CBFC for the past three years after the certification body demanded 127 cuts in it.
The Diljit Dosanjh-starrer was surprisingly released on ZEE5 on Friday under a new title Satluj. In the last two days, the Punjabi superstar and its director Honey Trehan had maintained that the film released on OTT is the origina, uncut version. Now, just after two days, ZEE5 has removed Satluj from its platform on Sunday.
Sharing a statement on their social media handles, the streaming platform said, “The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming. 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 ZEE 5, 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. We remain committed to championing authentic and meaningful narratives.”
The OTT platform stated that it remains “committed to bring the film back” as their statement further added, “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.”
More details about Satluj
Helmed by Honey Trehan, produced by RSVP and MacGuffin Pictures, Satluj also features Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in pivotal roles. The film had received rave reviews from the audiences and critics in the last two days, with many calling it one of the most hard-hitting Indian films in the recent times.
Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra?
Jaswant Singh Khalra was a prominent human rights activist from Punjab who exposed the alleged illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies by the Punjab Police during the insurgency of the 1980s and 1990s. His investigation uncovered records linking many of these bodies to people who had allegedly disappeared in police custody. In 1995, Khalra was abducted and killed, and his death became a landmark case highlighting custodial violence and the fight for accountability in India.