veteran actor Kanwarjit Singh talked about surrounding Diljit Dosanjh’s “Satrujji,” admitted that he was shocked by the obstacles faced before and after the film’s release. The actor, who plays the role of DGP Bitta in the film, questioned why the audience could not watch the film and revealed that his performance won appreciation from the veterans. Nasiruddin Shah and Shashi Ranjan.The film, originally titled “Punjab ’95,” has struggled with censorship-related issues for years. Although it eventually premiered on an OTT platform, it was pulled from streaming in India within two days.
Kanwaljit Singh praises manufacturers’ determination
Reflecting on the long struggle of the film, Kanwaljit praises the director Dear Trehan and producers Honey and Ronnie, who refused to compromise despite years of pressure.“I am shocked because this has been going on for 2.5-3 years and the case is still going on and I really admire my directors and producers Honey and Ronnie, who stood their ground and never gave in to the pressure,” Singh told IANS.The actor also recalled how the project faced setbacks despite repeated efforts to move forward. “It was said that 127 clips had been edited and ready to be sent to Canada, and all of a sudden it was pulled from the Canadian Film Festival. So, this has been happening with this movie for a long time.”The veteran actor questioned the concerns surrounding the film’s release and said enough time has passed for people to have conversations without fear of backlash.“Finally they said you should post, ‘What are you afraid of? What’s the backlash?’ Time heals a lot of wounds, and all that’s left after that is conversation. You can talk and work something out. No one has retaliated like this for so long.” In Satluj, Kanwaljit explores the character of DGP Bitta, who was inspired by former Punjab police chief KPS Gill.
Praise for Naseeruddin Shah and Shashi Ranjan
The veteran actor also said that his performance in the film received heartfelt appreciation from fellow actors Shashi Ranjan and Naseeruddin Shah, which he found meaningful.“I was very surprised to get a call from him (Ranjan). After that, I even got a call from Nasir (Naseeruddin Shah). He started speaking in Punjabi but his spoken English was very poor. I believe he is the ‘god of acting’ so anything that comes out from him has a big impact,” he said.
About “Satru”
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj is inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed alleged illegal cremations and extrajudicial killings in Punjab during the militancy period of the 1980s and 1990s. After a lengthy certification battle, the film started streaming on Zee5 in India on July 3. However, the film was removed from the platform within 48 hours after the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the film had been released before completing the mandatory certification process, and the platform was subsequently directed to remove it from its Indian catalog.
