Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ has been in the news ever since it was removed from OTT two days after the film’s release. Earlier, the CBFC had suggested 127 cuts to the film, so the makers opted for an OTT release. Now, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has alleged that former CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi objected to Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ without even watching the film. Speaking about the long-running censorship battle surrounding the Honey Trehan directorial, Kashyap claimed he was told by the director himself that objections were raised despite the film not being viewed by Joshi. For those unaware, Prasoon Joshi headed the Central Board of Film Certification until May 2026, when Shashi Shekhar Vempati took over as chairperson.Earlier titled ‘Punjab ’95’, ‘Satluj’ has remained entangled in censorship issues for nearly three years. The film was recently pulled from ZEE5 worldwide just days after its release. Kashyap recalled a conversation with Honey Trehan about the certification process. “Honey says Prasoon Joshi had objections with the film. He hadn’t seen the film. I know, in other cases also, the chairman doesn’t see the film,” Kashyap said in an interview with Kunal Kamra. The filmmaker further claimed that the CBFC chief does not necessarily watch every film personally and may instead rely on reports submitted by members of the Examining Committee before making a decision. “On the basis of that report, an arbitrary decision can be made. So, the film has been arbitrarily withdrawn. When I last spoke to Honey, he hasn’t been given any clear reasons,” he said.Trehan had recently told The Indian Express that neither he nor the producers received any direct communication before the film was taken down from the streaming platform. “I did not get any calls from them. I had nothing to do. Neither my producers nor I got any calls. But Zee5 got a letter from the (I&B) Ministry to stop the film,” Trehan said.According to the report, when the project was still titled ‘Punjab ’95’, Prasoon Joshi had reportedly recommended 127 cuts, including removing every reference to Punjab. The makers also alleged that they were pressured to withdraw their case against the CBFC while the matter was pending before the court.Kashyap also criticised Joshi for not publicly addressing recent controversies surrounding film censorship. “If the body’s face is Prasoon Joshi, he hasn’t made any statements on all the films being stopped. At the end of the day, by removing FCAT, it’s a Kafka-esque thing,” he said.He further added, “A government office is a Kafka-esque face. You can’t hold a single government office responsible because they’re following the guidelines and procedure,” while claiming that the guidelines change depending on public sentiment.
