Diljit Dosanjh Satluj row: Why CBFC held up film for 4 years, shock OTT release, govt’s ‘anti-India’ claims

After spending nearly four years in limbo, Satluj, previously titled Punjab 95, finally reached audiences last Friday when it quietly premiered on ZEE5. Directed Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, the film had been locked in a prolonged battle over certification and release. However, the relief proved to be short-lived. Within 48 hours of its release, the film disappeared from the streaming platform following directions from the Government of India.Now, screenwriter Niren Bhatt, who co-wrote the film with Trehan, has spoken about the latest setback, questioning why the film has continued to face obstacles for years without any official explanation. Speaking to Variety India, Bhatt referred to ZEE5’s statement attributing the removal to “current developments” and said it was evident that the decision came from authorities. “Developments surely means they are being asked someone to pause it. It is clear that someone in power to do so, whether at the CBFC or the Information and Broadcasting Minry, has stepped in.”
He further criticised the absence of any transparency throughout the film’s long struggle for release. “I feel someone in the establishment has a massive problem with it, but the real issue is the complete lack of communication. For years, it has just been pure stonewalling. There is pin drop silence from the CBFC. They will not tell us what their problem is, which parts offend them or who is making these calls. Even now, ZEE5 issues a statement about ‘current developments’ but cannot explain what those developments actually are. If there is a problem, let us have a dialogue. But how can you have a dialogue when they just silently remove your work?”
‘We had completely given up hope’
Bhatt also recalled how unexpectedly the film arrived on the platform after years of uncertainty. “Honestly, we only found out on Friday evening when we got a message saying it was live. No one had a clue. We had completely given up hope that it would ever release. Honey (Trehan) was in talks with RSVP, but even he did not believe it would actually happen until it dropped. For the last four years, we have lived with these endless cycles of conversations, so when it finally went live, I genuinely believed it was safe.”
The writer maintained that there was nothing objectionable in the film and described it as a deeply human story centred on justice. “I firmly believe there is absolutely nothing objectionable in this movie. This is a film about a bank employee, a common man who showed enormous valour fighting for the families of people who were extrajudicially abducted and killed. He was fighting for something as fundamental as death certificates so that grieving widows, old parents and young kids could claim their land and bank accounts. There is nothing political about it. It is a human rights story. The overwhelming audience reaction before the blackout proved that: people were just asking why this perfectly human narrative was stopped for years.”
Responding to claims circulating in certain quarters that the film could be weaponised “anti-India forces” or international elements, Bhatt dismissed the argument. “That argument simply does not hold. If The Kashmir Files can ex, if The Kerala Story can ex, why can they ex without being labeled tools for international forces? Why is our film the chosen one that will suddenly be misused extreme elements? You cannot jump to far-fetched, paranoid conclusions just to suppress a straightforward biography. It makes absolutely no sense.”
Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj removed from ZEE5.
‘We will appeal in court’
Bhatt confirmed that the makers now intend to challenge the decision legally. “Our next step is clear: we will appeal in court. This film has been wrongly stopped, and whoever has an issue must legally spell it out so we can counter it. The judiciary has rescued cinema before. It happened with Udta Punjab when the CBFC demanded 94 cuts. The makers went to court, fought it out and the film released with just one cut. We are highly hopeful that hory will repeat itself and Satluj will start streaming again very soon.”Story continues below this ad
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Why was Satluj taken down?
On Sunday evening, less than 48 hours after the film’s release, ZEE5 removed Satluj from its platform and issued a brief statement. “In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity.” Following the takedown, pirated versions of the film quickly surfaced online.
After the film’s removal, SCREEN reached out to co-producer Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies. An official spokesperson confirmed, “The government has pulled it down,” while expressing hope that the film would return to streaming “hopefully soon.” According to PTI, quoting a government official, the makers had originally submitted the film to the CBFC in 2022 under the title Punjab 95 but did not agree to the board’s proposed 127 cuts. The official said the film was subsequently released directly on OTT under a new title without CBFC certification.
“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 it (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.”Story continues below this ad
Honey Trehan and Diljit Dosanjh during the making of Punjab ’95 aka Satluj.
Honey Trehan: ‘I genuinely don’t know who had a problem’
Before the film was removed from ZEE5, director Honey Trehan had thanked both the platform and producers for standing the project while admitting that he still did not know who had opposed the film all these years. “If somebody asks me who had a problem with the film, I genuinely don’t know. I don’t have a face. I don’t have a name. Everything came through third persons or lawyers,” he told Mid-Day.
Trehan said communication with the censor board had eventually stopped altogether. “There came a point when there was simply no communication anymore. After everything we’d gone through, there was nothing left to discuss. That’s when ZEE stepped in and made this release possible.” Praising the platform’s unconventional release strategy, he added: “What courage ZEE has shown. Hats off to them. They simply dropped the trailer, posters and the film together. There was no release date, no countdown, nothing. It was just — streaming now. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Diljit Dosanjh on the removal
During an Instagram Live session on Monday, Diljit Dosanjh revealed that the team had anticipated the film might be taken down soon after release, which is why they opted for a surprise launch. He also thanked viewers who downloaded the film before it disappeared from the platform. “Lo kar lo block (block if you dare), everyone has the film downloaded. What will you do now? These people are either uneducated or innocent if they think they can remove anything from the internet.”
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Why was Punjab 95 delayed?
Satluj was eventually released on ZEE5 without cuts, with only its title changed from Punjab 95. However, the film’s path to release was marked years of delays. The project was first submitted to the CBFC in 2022. Over the next two years, the board repeatedly sought changes before granting certification. In September 2023, the film was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, but the screening was withdrawn after Indian authorities objected to its inclusion.
Speaking exclusively to SCREEN in 2025, Trehan revealed that the certification process became an endless cycle of revisions. After agreeing to an initial set of 21 cuts, the makers submitted a revised version only to receive fresh demands each time. According to the director, the CBFC also objected to the film’s original title Ghalughara, the phrase “inspired true events”, and continued seeking additional edits through 2024. Plans for an overseas release in early 2025 also failed to materialise.
Trehan had further alleged that the board wanted Jaswant Singh Khalra’s name changed, references to the Punjab Police removed, visuals of the Indian flag and gurbani deleted, and the names of locations where bodies were allegedly discovered omitted, besides insing on changing the title. Questioning the extent of the proposed edits, he had asked, “What is left then?” The matter also reached the Bombay High Court in 2023 before the producers later withdrew the petition on legal advice.
About Satluj
Satluj revisits one of Punjab’s darkest periods, exploring the disappearances, alleged extrajudicial killings and illegal detentions linked to the state’s counter-insurgency operations against Khalani militancy during the 1980s and 1990s. The film follows the life and work of human rights activ Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigations exposed the alleged illegal cremation of unidentified bodies before his own disappearance. Alongside Diljit Dosanjh, the film also stars Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.