Caught in a prolonged censorship battle and removed from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its release, Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ has remained in the news. Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the film, director Honey Trehan has now revealed that Diljit charged just Re 1 for the project, and did not accept his usual fee after learning about the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. According to the filmmaker, the actor believed it would be “shameful” to charge money for portraying such an extraordinary individual.Trehan said Diljit’s commitment to the film never wavered despite the hurdles it faced, including its certification dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and its subsequent removal from OTT. The filmmaker explained that he had always envisioned a Sikh actor playing Jaswant Singh Khalra, believing the role required someone who understood the community and its lived experiences.“Had Diljit not been there, this film would not have existed. I wanted an actor who knows that world. I was keen on casting a Sardar because if I put a Bollywood actor in the film, the narrative would suddenly become, ‘This actor is playing a Sardar.’ That would’ve been an injustice to Khalra Sahab’s journey and the people whose pain this story carries,” he said in an interview with The Print. Trehan went on to recall his first meeting with Diljit in 2021, which was initially planned as a brief 30-minute discussion. During the meeting, he shared his research and introduced the actor to Jaswant Singh Khalra’s life and work.According to the director, Diljit was instantly moved after seeing Khalra’s photograph and made his decision on the spot. “He stood up from his chair, touched the script to his forehead and said, ‘Waheguru’, ‘How can I charge to play someone like Khalra? It will be shameful.’”Trehan said he still insisted on paying the actor, but Diljit refused to accept a conventional fee. “However, when the director insisted, the singer simply said that if he wanted to pay him for contractual purposes, he could pay him just Re 1.”‘Satluj’ is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a bank clerk who went on to become one of Punjab’s most prominent human rights activists. His investigation into the alleged cremation of nearly 25,000 unidentified people in the state between 1984 and 1994 brought widespread national attention to the issue.According to the court judgment cited by the filmmakers, Khalra was abducted and later murdered while in police custody in 1995.
