Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will screen Diljit Dosanjh-starrer controversial film ‘Satluj’ across Punjab, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced on 8 July, days after the movie was taken down after being released on ZEE5 OTT platform.
This, Badal said, is aimed at ensuring that today’s youth and our coming generations know about the unspeakable tragedy and repression unleashed by the then Congress governments against Jaswant Singh Khalra and thousands of other innocent Sikh youths who were eliminated through fake encounters.
“This film presents the agony of Punjab during that phase. The Sikh youth was going through profound religious stress following the horrendous and unforgivable attack on Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” Badal, the former deputy chief minister, wrote on X.
The film, originally titled “Punjab 95”, was released in India on streaming service ZEE5 on Friday. However, it became unavailable on the platform just two days later.
Earlier, Badal slammed the removal of the movie, saying Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression.
What is Satluj movie about?
The film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was stuck in censorship for over three years.
The film, originally titled Ghallughara (massacre) and then Punjab ’95, chronicles the life and work of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the human rights activist who investigated alleged cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Punjab in the 1990s.
It is basically a biographical drama centred on Khalra’s efforts to document and expose alleged human rights violations during one of Punjab’s most violent periods in the 1990s.
The Honey Trehan-directed movie was released without any cuts, but on Sunday evening, the platform shared a statement to inform viewers that it’s no longer available in India.
“Later in October-November that year, countless innocent Sikhs were subjected to an unprecedented massacre in New Delhi and several other parts of the country. Now, the Punjabis, especially the Sikhs are being stopped from recalling and recording that era in the form of history,” Badal said on Wednesday adding that SAD will never remain a mute witness to this injustice.
“Accordingly, I direct every worker, every office bearer and every leader of th AkaliDal to stream this film (Satluj) in every nook and corner of every village, town and city of Punjab,” he said.
In the movie, Dosanjh essays the role of Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab during a 10-year period from 1984 to 1994, before himself disappearing in 1995.
In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted for his abduction and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced their sentence to life imprisonment.
In 2023, the movie was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was removed from the line-up without any official statement from the organisers.
The social drama had run into trouble with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which had reportedly asked for an unprecedented 127 cuts. The delay in getting a clearance from the censor board forced the makers to postpone planned releases.
We will never remain a mute witness to this injustice.
The movie was slated for a worldwide release on 7 February 2025, without any cuts, except in India. But that release also did not happen. The movie is available for viewers outside India to watch.
Key Takeaways
- The film portrays the painful experiences faced by Sikhs during a tumultuous historical period.
- Public screenings are being organized to counter censorship and educate younger generations.
- The controversy around the film highlights ongoing tensions related to historical narratives in Punjab.
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