Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj survives only three days on ZEE5 before being taken down ? Here’s what happened
Diljit Dosanj and Arjun Rampal starrer ‘Satluj’ originally named Punjab 95 was released on Zee 5 after a wait of 3 years with 127 cuts. It was only two days that the film could survive on the streaming platform and was eventually removed even before Jaswant Singh Khalra could settle into the people’s watchlist. The movie chronicles the life crusade of social activist Jaswant Singh Khalra (Diljit Dosanjh), who risked his life to uncover thousands of secrets behind the state-sanctioned extrajudicial cremations in the 1990s when Punjab was on the boil.
ZEE5 has pulled down the movie after three days of its release citing multiple reasons. “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,” it said in a statement on social media.
Diljit shared his first reaction on Sunday night, hours after the streamer issued a statement about its decision. Early Monday, Diljit hosted an Instagram Live thanking fans for their constant support. He reiterated one point throughout the live session: once something is online, it can’t be erased.
Dosanjh who saw it coming, in an Instagram Live session before the film was pulled of expressed fear of ban had urged his fans to download the movie. ‘But I’m happy and relieved that the film finally reached the audience. Many people have already downloaded it. Once anything lands online, it never gets deleted. I saw a video from Rajasthan where people are watching the film; I felt very happy. Please show it to your friends and everyone around you,” he added.
With barely just a few municipal documents in hand, calculated weight of cremation firewood, Kalra sets on a journey to look for a missing person from his family. Meticulously piecing together, a forensic paper trail that strips away the senior police leadership’s complicity, Kalra resurrects the disappeared. The story is narrated by Additional Director of the CBI, Samudra Singh, who is eventually brought to Tarn Taran to investigate Jaswant’s disappearance. The two hours 42 minutes narrative is how a solitary candle Jaswant Singh Khalra doesn’t agree to distinguish faces the winds. It features how Khalra went from a banker to a human rights activist, as a father and a husband wanting dignity at the place his family stays at, but also on unravelling how Punjab has gotten to be in the position
Much before the streaming drama unfolded, family of the activist had already weighed in supporting the film. Paramjit Khalra, widow of late Jaswant Singh khalra publicly endorsed the OTT release saying it was the same version the family endured. She said the film preserved the original spirit and truth of her husband’s story and expressed hope that it would honour his legacy and push audiences to reflect on truth, justice, accountability and human dignity.
Caught in cobwebs for three years, the movie was initially titled ‘Ghallughara’ – a historic term referring the massacre of Sikhs in 1746,1762 and 1984. On being presented before the CBFC, it demanded cuts and title change – eventually lesser later rose to 127. The film amidst the stand off was even pulled off from a planned Toronto International Film Festival premiere in 2023.