Anurag Basu comments on the ongoing debate and controversy surrounding ‘Satluj’ and compares Honey Trehan’s plight to Jafar Pahani’s. (Instagram and YouTube)
Diljit Dosanjh’s latest release has created quite a stir in Bollywood. From being dropped on OTT platforms with little to no promo to being removed within 2 days of its release, the film has sparked a major online debate among viewers about why it has been stopped all over again. Now, fellow celebrities are also weighing in the matter, which also includes Anurag Basu. In a social media post, he called out the film’s removal from the streaming platform, and even compared the situation to another international film director that faced the same fate.
Anurag Basu talks about Honey Trehan’s ‘Satluj’ being removed
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Basu shared his own thoughts on ‘Satluj’ and joined the ongoing debate about the movie release, and being removed from the streaming platforms.He compared Dosanjh’s film to ‘Jafar Panahi’, an Iranian director who faced a similar fate in his home country. He wrote, “#Satluj I never thought a day would come when Honey Trehan would face what Jafar Panahi faced in Iran.” He compared Honey Trehan’s plight to that Panahi, a well-known director in Iran, who had been out of the country promoting ‘It Was Just An Accident’, when he had been served with a legal notice by the authorities in Tehran. According to BBC, he was served with a 1 year jail sentence, along with a two year travel ban as well on probation.
‘Satluj’ removed from OTT, prompts fans to share illegal links
Only withing two days of its release, ‘Satluj’ which follows the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra as he investigated the illegal cremations and their corrupt connections in Punjab during the 1990s. The film was orginally titled ‘Punjab 95’, and had already been made around 3 to 4 years ago. However, the film faced quite a lot of trouble for its release.The film was released on ZEE5 only 2 to 3 days ago, however, recently the platform completely removed the project from their platform and issued a formal notice into the matter. Their statement, which was uploaded on various social media channels, read: “The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming. We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a great deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life.”They further added that, “At ZEE5, we stand firmly by Satluj and the creative vision behind it. We believe powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact. We remain committed to championing authentic and meaningful narratives.” However, the team also confirmed that the film will not be available for streaming in India until “further notice.”‘Satluj’ was also meant to be premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2023, a year after it had been submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification; however, as Indian authorities raised concerns at the time, the premiere was ultimately cancelled. Go to Source
