Many celebrities have spoken in support of Diljit Dosanjh’s film Satluj after it was removed from OTT platform ZEE5 just 48 hours after it started streaming. Now, the film’s lead female actor, Geetika Vidya, has penned an emotional note on the controversy.
‘We carried this film quietly in our hearts’
Geetika shared a still from the film in which she is seen standing alongside Diljit Dosanjh as the two hold the hands of two children. Reflecting on the film’s journey, she wrote, “For four years, we carried this film quietly in our hearts, hoping for the day we could finally share it with you. Today, that hope feels both fulfilled and unfinished, as Satluj finds its voice in some places while remaining silenced in others.”
She continued, “It was an honour to step into the world of Bibi Paramjit and to stand beside @diljitdosanjh in telling the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra ji and the family whose love endured what words never fully can describe. In admiration of @honeytrehan for his decision. As he always says: #Nirbhau #Nirvair. And as Jaswant Singh Khalra ji always said: #challengethedarkness.”
About Satluj
Satluj, previously titled Punjab 95, is inspired by the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a Punjab human rights activist who investigated the alleged cremation of around 25,000 unidentified bodies between 1984 and 1994. The film follows his abduction in 1995 and the subsequent conviction of four Punjab Police personnel in 2005 for the abduction and murder of Khalra. They were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The film got embroiled in a certification row with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The board reportedly asked the makers to implement 127 cuts, but director Honey Trehan and the team refused to comply. As a result, the film was never released in theatres. After four years, it quietly premiered on ZEE5, only to be removed from the platform within two days of its release.
A government official later spoke to PTI and explained why the film was taken down from ZEE5. “They kept sitting on the suggested cuts and eventually released the movie quietly on OTT with a new title. OTT does not come under the CBFC’s jurisdiction. When the matter came to the government’s notice, Zee was asked to take the film down. The direction was given due to security concerns. The OTT platform was asked to follow the obligations under intermediary guidelines. If they want to release the film in theatres and OTT, they should follow the laid down norms,” the official told PTI.
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