Days after Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj was pulled down from ZEE5 in India, gurudwaras across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Jammu are ensuring that human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra’s life story reaches the audience. Insiders from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have told mid-day that gurudwara committees across the country have planned community screenings of the Honey Trehan-directed film.
In Jammu, Satluj — formerly titled Punjab ’95 — is scheduled to be screened at four gurudwaras between July 10 and 13. A poster doing the rounds online invites the public to a July 11 screening at the Baba Fateh Singh Auditorium at Chandi Ki Taksal Gurudwara in Jaipur. In the capital, Harmeet Singh Kalka, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, called for the film to be restored on the streamer, while expressing support for community screenings.
Jaswant Singh Khalra
A source from SGPC said, “The community doesn’t want this story to disappear simply because the film is unavailable online. If people cannot watch it on OTT, gurudwaras are opening their doors. Jaswant Singh Khalra’s story deserves to be seen.” The biopic, which premièred on July 3, was pulled down on July 5 reportedly due to concerns over national security.
mid-day reached out to SGPC, which remained unavailable for an official comment.