- Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj was removed from ZEE5 within 48 hours of release
- Senior actor Kanwaljit Singh questioned the state of freedom of speech over the removal
- Satluj was submitted to CBFC in 2022 but had not received a clearance certificate
Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj, based on activist Jaswant Singh Khalra's efforts to unearth the truth about alleged mass killings during the militancy era, was taken down from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its release. Actors, directors and creative artistes across platforms have raised concerns. Senior actor Kanwaljit Singh, who played a DGP of the Punjab police in the film, questioned the state of freedom of speech in his reaction.
"I spoke to Honey after the film was taken down, and he has said that they will be taking the matter to court. But what I don't understand is why they had to take it off? Even people who weren't going to see it will want to see it now. It has also been downloaded by so many people, so even though lots of people would be watching it, the producers will be losing out. But I want to ask, what is this freedom of speech? Tell me, I really want to know. That right is being strangled," Kanwaljit told The Free Press Journal.
Asked whether his character was modelled on KPS Gill, who was DGP during that time, Kanwaljit Singh said his role was not based on a single figure.
"People are assuming that I'm playing Gill. However, the brief I followed was to study clippings of different DGPs and police chiefs, and I also have a friend who is a retired DGP with whom I discussed how the character should be," he said.
About the Satluj controversy
Satluj, originally titled Panjab 95, was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in 2022 but had not received a clearance certificate to date.
The filmmakers had previously alleged that the CBFC sought 127 cuts for the film. It was also scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023, but the screening was cancelled after objections were reportedly raised by Indian authorities.
On Friday (July 3), the film was released on ZEE5 without promotions. As praise started to pour in, the film was pulled from the streamer.
The streamer issued a statement saying it stands by the film. Without sharing the exact reason for removing it, ZEE5 said that "in light of current developments" the film is unavailable for streaming.
