Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj has been taken down from streaming platform ZEE5 just two days after its release, triggering widespread reactions from celebrities and politicians. While authorities say it’s due to security concerns, the MIB claims the decision was taken because the film didn’t complete the certification process. Calling the removal an attempt to suppress the truth, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Tuesday strongly objected to the move and revealed it will hold a special screening of the film.
Sikh body to hold Satluj screening
DSGMC described the move as an attempt to suppress the story of social activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and announced public screenings and educational seminars to ensure the film reaches the public.
Speaking on the issue, DSGMC President Harmeet Singh Kalka told ANI, “Since this film is a biographical portrayal of Jaswant Singh Khalra, it depicts how a social activist opened people’s eyes to the truth. He uncovered evidence of 25,000 bodies that had been cremated as ‘unclaimed’ and raised the issue not only within the country but also internationally, highlighting the dire situation in Punjab. Suppressing this story, preventing the events of that dark era from reaching the public, is deeply wrong, and it has sparked immense outrage across the Sikh community.”
Kalka said DSGMC would organise screenings of the film and hold seminars in educational institutions on Khalra’s life and work.
“We have asked all Gurdwara committee members to download and screen the film in their respective areas to ensure that it reaches the public. Furthermore, we will soon convene a meeting with the chairpersons of our schools and colleges. Seminars on Jaswant Singh Khalra will be organised in every college to discuss his life and legacy. We want people to realise the impact a single social activist can have on society. If one individual can achieve so much, there is no reason why we cannot all work together to do the same,” he added.
More about Satluj
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj delves into the life of Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab from 1984 to 1994. He disappeared in 1995. In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted of Khalra’s 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.
The movie was stuck with the censors for more than three years, forcing the makers to release the uncut version on ZEE5 under the new title Satluj on July 3. However, it was removed from the platform two days later, on July 5. While it dropped on OTT, the film was downloaded by many and circulated. As a result, the platform urged netizens to avoid piracy.