The Center directed OTT platform ZEE5 to take down the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film Satluj citing “security concerns” and “obligations” under the IT Rules 2021, government sources said on Monday, even as the actor-cum-singer of Punjab’s political parties and Sikh apex body SGPC asked to take a look.
“Satluj” was deleted citing IT Rules 2021
“Satluj” details the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in the tumultuous 1990s in Punjab, when the state was plagued by terrorism and has been under scrutiny for more than three years. The film was released unedited on ZEE5 on Friday and was removed from the platform on Sunday evening.OTT content does not fall under the purview of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and is governed by the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
“Sutlej” removed due to “security concerns”
A government official said that the makers of “Sutlej” had applied for CBFC certification with its original title “Punjab 95” in 2022, but they did not accept the 127 deletions recommended by the review committee and the release was postponed.“They remained indifferent to the editing suggestions and finally quietly released the film on OTT with a new title. OTT does not fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC. When the matter came to the attention of the government, Zee was asked to take it down.“The instructions have been given due to security concerns. OTT platforms have been asked to adhere to their obligations under intermediary guidelines. If they want to release films in theaters and on OTT, they should adhere to the laid down norms,” the official told PTI.
Diljit Dosanjh Encourage fans to download movies
Dosanjh said on Monday that this will definitely happen, while ZEE5 issued an appeal asking people not to support piracy as the film has been downloaded by many people.The film, directed by Honey Trehan, delves into the life of Khalra, who spent 10 years from 1984 to 1994 investigating the cremations of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab. He was kidnapped in 1995 and never seen again. In 2005, four Punjab police officers were convicted of Khalra’s kidnapping and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment.The film quietly arrived on ZEE5 on Friday without any cut but with a different title and zero promotions, which Dosanjh said was because they didn’t want to spoil the film’s slim chances.
Political parties rally in support of ‘Satluj’
The matter quickly gained political attention, with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemning OTT platforms for removing the film and saying the state must face its past.Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) principal secretary Kulwant Singh Manan said people should know what happened in those days in Punjab.“If the reality is shown and the public knows what happened in those days in Punjab, then there is something wrong,” Manan told PTI over the phone.Condemning the “arbitrary deletion” of the film, SGPC chairman Harjinder Singh Dhami said: “Efforts to cover up the government’s atrocities against Sikhs will never succeed.“Today, the honorable court is punishing the then police. How can anyone reject these decisions of the court?” asked Dhami.SAD chairman Sukhbir Singh Badal criticized the film’s removal, saying: “This is not just censorship, it is an attack on our collective memory, truth and freedom of expression… Punjab should face its past honestly instead of repressing it. “Senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira agreed.“I strongly condemn the deletion of Diljit Dosanjh’s film ‘Satluj’, which recounts the police brutality of abducting and killing human rights activist Professor Jaswant Singh Khalra in 1995,” he said.AAP leader and MP Malvinder Singh Kang said censorship becomes the most dangerous weapon when a country starts worrying about its history.AAP’s Baltej Pannu said: “The younger generation wants to know what happened in Punjab in 1978, 1984, 1990s and other critical periods. If they don’t have access to books and documentaries, films become an important way to preserve historical truth.”When asked to comment on the removal of the film from OTT, Punjab People’s Party president Kewal Singh Dhillon said: “I am finding out the reason. We are dealing with the matter.”Dosanjh, who is on tour in the United States, took to Instagram Live in an extensive broadcast to express his anguish.“I had a hunch on Friday that something like that was going to happen. It was already in the back of my mind. (The ban) was not a shock. I thought it would be banned when the offices opened on Monday…“But I didn’t expect this to happen on Sunday night. We didn’t even promote the film, we released it like this. If we had promoted it, it wouldn’t have lasted even two days. But I am happy that people have seen the film and it has reached their hands,” Dosanjh said in Punjabi.“It’s very important that it should get into your hands, and that’s happened… I’m grateful that what we wanted to say and the way we wanted to say it, it’s been delivered. It’s your movie and you can watch it the way you want to watch it,” he said.“This is the only way to release this film… Needless to say, because it is bound to happen,” Dosanjh said, adding that the more people try to stop the film, the more popular it will become because nothing disappears online, not even voice messages sent on Whatsapp.
ZEE5 sees things a little differently.
“We are doing our part to bring ‘Satluj’ back. Please do your part – don’t support piracy. We remain committed to exploring every possible avenue to bring ‘Satluj’ back to you,” the company posted on Instagram.On Sunday evening, it said, “In view of the current developments, ‘Satluj’ will not be available in India until further notice…”The streamer didn’t specify what “current developments” meant, but said the response to the film has been overwhelming and that they fully support the creative beliefs behind it.
‘Satluj’ releases after delay
The film was originally scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023, but was removed from the film lineup without any official statement from the organizers.‘Punjab ’95’ was originally scheduled to be released globally on February 7, 2025, and there will be no cuts except for India. But that launch didn’t happen either. The incident also sparked reactions on social media.Tag former CBFC Chairman Bashun Joshi Comedian Kunal Kamra said in a post that Khalra was kidnapped again, “this time by CBFC”.Filmmaker O’Neal posted: “Once again an entire industry is silent on something that should shock us all and affect us all. How could we give up our right to tell stories…especially such powerful and sensitive stories.”director Anurag Basu Said on X that he never thought Trehan would face anything similar to what Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi faced in his country.
