Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has voiced his support for Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’, formerly titled ‘Punjab ’95’, after the film was removed from its OTT platform just two days after its OTT premiere. The film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and had finally released on the platform on July 3 after years of delays.Reacting to the film, Ram Gopal Varma described ‘Satluj’ as a bold and necessary piece of cinema. He urged authorities not to suppress the film, saying it fearlessly revisits one of the darkest chapters in India’s history without relying on sensationalism. He wrote, “Just saw SATLUJ and it is not a film, but a deep wound that will never heal. It stirs up the sludge in one of the darkest chapters of our history This is cinema used as confrontation, where @diljitdosanjh acts with a quiet fury with no chest thumping heroism.. His only weapons are a ledger and a conscience. @rampalarjun adds layers of moral rot in the institutional complicity that feels chillingly realistic.” He also praised director Honey Trehan’s restrained storytelling, saying the film derives its impact from truth rather than dramatic excess. “Director @honeytrehan instead of sensationalising the horror unfolds the film like a slow burn investigative thriller through bureaucratic files, cremation records, and hushed conversations. This restraint makes the brutality of the subject matter hit that much harder because it explodes with the force of truth and not exploitation. The philosophical core of the film about how a democracy devours its own citizens and then tries to erase the evidence is explored without any preachiness and that’s no normal achievement,” he added.Referring to the controversy over the film’s removal from OTT platform, Varma said the developments only highlighted the importance of ‘Satluj’. He added that art fulfils its purpose when it challenges those in positions of power.“The various issues surrounding its exhibition and publication prove that any art which makes the powerful uncomfortable has done its job, and that is the true purpose of true art, which SATLUJ is . It is highly courageous essential filmmaking because it unsettles, educates, and lingers. In the times where main stream chases spectacle and popcorn cinema , SUTLEJ shoots out a hard reminder of what cinematic medium can truly achieve when it takes on truth and honesty SATLUJ is a film that has to be seen , shown, discussed, debated and not ENCOUNTERED like the victims in the film,” he wrote.Concluding his post, the filmmaker made an emotional appeal, urging authorities not to silence the film. “My appeal to all the powers is , please don’t do to SATLUJ what has been done to JASWANT SINGH KALRA. TRUTH HITS HARDER when one tries to HIDE IT . — AYN RAND.”Directed by Honey Trehan, ‘Satluj’ finally premiered on ZEE5 on July 3 after nearly four years of delays and prolonged certification hurdles that derailed its planned theatrical release. However, the film was taken down from the streaming platform within just two days of its debut.
