‘Lo kar lo block’: Diljit Dosanjh defies government ban on Satluj, explains film’s ‘guerrilla release’ | Bollywood News

Hours after Diljit Dosanjh’s period investigative drama Satluj was removed from Zee5, the actor-singer went live on Instagram to encourage fans to watch the film from downloaded links, challenging the power-that-be to take it off from the internet. He also said that the government’s action was expected and that’s why the film’s team went for the low-key, guerilla-style release on an OTT platform minus any promotion.Satluj started streaming on ZEE5 on Friday evening and was taken off on Sunday evening, less than 48 hours later amid positive reviews. The film, based on the life of late human rights activ Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated extra-judicial killings in Punjab at the height of militancy, has been struggling for a theatrical release since 2023. Producer RSVP confirmed to SCREEN that the film was taken down at the government’s behest. NDTV, meanwhile, quoted government sources as saying that the decision was a carefully considered one as certain parts of the film ‘can be used against India’.
Now, in a new live session on Instagram, Diljit opened up about the struggle to bring the film out in India, why it was denied a theatrical release and how the team knew it would be taken off the OTT platform within days and that’s why chose a guerrilla release. He also thanked fans who downloaded the film before it was taken down, encouraging them to share the links and watch it.
‘Satluj takedown not a surprise’
During the Instagram live, Diljit said, “It is not a shock to me. I knew it would happen since the film came out. I thought Satluj would be removed once offices open on Monday. However, I didn’t expect it will happen on Sunday itself. All this has been going on since day one, that’s why we couldn’t even promote the film.” Diljit said if they had promoted the film, it would never have been allowed to release.
Having said that, the singer-actor expressed his happiness about Satluj releasing on the digital medium, even if it was for a brief period. “But, I am glad that the film has reached many households. I wanted our hard work to reach the audience. I am thankful to God about that. Congratulations to our team, we achieved what we wanted to. It’s your film, you watch it however you want.”
ALSO READ | Satluj movie review: Diljit Dosanjh’s performance gives this film its strength
He further added, “This was pretty much expected. To not tell anyone  (about release) and do it suddenly was the only way to release the film. If we had promoted it even two days before, it wouldn’t have reached you all. I was watching a video in the morning, in which the film was being screened at a gurudwara.”

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‘We have been struggling for the last four years’
Diljit Dosanjh also reflected on the difficult period of filming for Satluj, over 5 years ago. The film released on streaming after a three year-long censorship battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). “If you try to control and ban the film, it will be talked about even more. If you len to my advice, don’t do that, let it release. If something has come up on the internet once, it can’t be deleted completely. We have been struggling for the last four years. The voices that were silenced years ago, they are still being silenced today,” he noted.
He continued, “Even while shooting the film, we faced so many difficulties. Our shoot used to get halted for 8-10 days several times. Even our own people troubled us a lot. It’s a salute to Honey paaji. He has given it his entire life. I would say that the film should come back on Zee5, I hope it does. More than money, it is important for the film to reach the audience.”
When several fans revealed that they downloaded Satluj before it was removed from Zee5, an elated Diljit replied, “It’s good that you downloaded it, I already gave a heads-up about this earlier. I saw this coming already. Always len to my hints. Honey paaji has worked really hard. He has done a big favour for us making such a beautiful film. Wherever you see him, I want you to thank him.”
He also challenges the powers-that-be. “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.”Story continues below this ad
Zee5 on Satluj being removed
Meanwhile, Diljit Dosanjh had already predicted the date of his film. During an earlier Instagram live segment, he had urged people to watch the film quickly, before it is taken down from the OTT platform.
While removing the film on Sunday evening, Zee5 wrote in an Instagram post, “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.”
ALSO READ | Diljit Dosanjh on Punjab 95’s title change to Satluj: ‘Absolutely no cuts in the film’

Panjab’95 struggles to release
After a 3-year long censorship battle, the film had released on ZEE5 without any cuts, with only the film title being changed from Punjab ’95 to Satluj. It all started back in 2023, when days after announcing that it would premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film was made to withdraw from the festival.Story continues below this ad
Its release in India was also halted the CBFC, which demanded 127 cuts before giving the film certifications. Even though CBFC certification isn’t needed for an international film festival premiere, the makers had to the film from TIFF. The 127 cuts included title change and deleting all the references to Punjab.
While talking to SCREEN last year, director Honey Trehan said, “I’m not against the cuts. I’m very happy to do even 150 cuts if they’re legitimate or being given to me the court of law. But if any government or people in power say this doesn’t suit our politics, then it’s very subjective. I’d really wish my freedom of expression be protected, which seems very difficult in today’s times. Probably, it’s not a propaganda film. It doesn’t work in the favour of the sitting government.”
About Satluj
Satluj tells the story of the suspicious disappearance of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who shed light on the extrajudicial killings and cremation of more than 25,000 people in Punjab, in the 1990s. After CBI’s inquiry, many police officials were awarded life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of Khalra. Satluj is co-produced RSVP Movies and Honey and Abhishek Chaubey’s production house Macguffin Pictures. Besides Diljit Dosanjh, it also features Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.