Diljit Dosanjh unsurprised by ‘Satluj’ removal from Zee5, says was ‘bound to happen’

Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh says his film has been banned satlujQuietly aired on ZEE5 on Friday, July 3, 2026, without any interruption and removed just two days later, it was bound to happen and he was waiting for it – but when the offices opened on Monday, July 6.

Directed by Honey Trehan, the film stars Dosanjh as human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was kidnapped in 1995 and never seen again. The film, originally titled “Punjab ’95”, remained in the hands of censors for more than three years. The director and actor refused to release the film with 127 cuts recommended by the Central Board of Film Certification.

Dosanjh said in an Instagram live on Monday from the US, where he is currently on tour: “It’s Sunday, but in India it should be Monday. It’s Sunday evening in my house. I had a feeling something like this would happen on Friday. That was already in my mind. This (ban) is nothing to be shocked about. I thought it would be banned when the offices open on Monday.”

“But I had no idea that it would happen on Sunday evening. We didn’t even promote the film, we just released it this way. If we had promoted it, it wouldn’t have lasted even two days. But I am happy that people watched the film and reached out to them,” Dosanjh said in Punjabi.

‘I’m glad a lot of people saw this’

On Monday, a day after ZEE5 released a statement informing viewers that the film is no longer available in India, Dosanjh said he is happy that many people have watched or downloaded the film.

“Youngsters today are talking about the film. I saw a very nice video about the film, which was probably shown in a gurudwara in Rajasthan. I’m glad the film has reached you,” he added on Instagram Live, his preferred mode of communication these days.

Saying that the hard work done by the film’s team has reached people, Dosanjh encouraged people to share “Satluj” and watch it wherever and whenever possible.

“It was very important that it reached you and it did… I am grateful that what we wanted to say and what we wanted to say was conveyed. This is your film and you can watch it as you wish,” he said.

“It was the only way to release the movie without saying anything because it was bound to happen,” he added.

Dosanjh said that the more you try to stop the movie, whose name has been changed to “Satluj”, the more popular it will become, adding that nothing is lost on the internet, not even the voice note on Whatsapp.

On Sunday night, in reaction to the film’s removal from the OTT platform, Khalra shared a scene from the film in which she says, “I defy the darkness.”

Hours ago, ZEE5 had issued a statement saying, “In light of current developments, ‘Satluj’ will not be available in India until further notice. We are committed to exploring any means necessary through the legal process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity.”

The publisher did not specify what he meant by “current developments” but said that the response to the film was overwhelming and that they fully supported the creative ethos behind the film.

“Satluj” follows the life of Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab over a 10-year period from 1984 to 1994. He disappeared in 1995.

In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted of kidnapping and murdering him and were sentenced to seven years in prison. Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court commuted their sentences to life imprisonment.

The film was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023, but was removed from the lineup without any official statement from the organizers.

“Punjab ’95” is scheduled to release globally on February 7, 2025, without any interruption outside India. However, this version also did not materialize.

The film is produced by Trehan, Abhishek Chaubey and Ronnie Screwvala under the banners MacGuffin Pictures and RSVP.

It also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in lead roles.

It was published – 06 July 2026 14:42 IST