Diljit Dosanjh’s film, once titled ‘Punjab 95’, released as Satluj on Zee5 after a 3-year CBFC battle, uncut. Diljit and director Honey Trehan confirmed no scenes were removed despite 127 demanded changes. Based on activist Jaswant Singh Khalra’s life, the film also faced a TIFF withdrawal before finally releasing.
Diljit Dosanjh’s film spent nearly three years trapped in a cycle of delays, title revisions and censorship battles. The social drama, once titled ‘Punjab 95’, began streaming on OTT on July 3 after a drawn-out fight with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Notably, despite the years-long struggle, the film has released without the cuts its makers had resisted for so long. Interestingly, the film underwent two name changes before reaching this point: originally announced as ‘Ghallughara’, it was later renamed ‘Punjab ’95’ during the certification process, before finally releasing as Satluj, after the river that flows through Punjab.
Diljit Dosanjh confirms the film is uncut
A key question hanging over the film’s release was whether the makers had ultimately caved to the CBFC’s demands. Diljit has now put that speculation to rest, confirming they hadn’t. In an Instagram Live session on Friday, shortly after ‘Satluj’ went live on streaming, the actor stated that the film has been released in its original, unaltered form. “Our film has finally been released on Zee5. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the original title Punjab 95 for certain reasons, so it is now called Satluj. But there are absolutely no cuts in the film. The version I watched in theatres two years ago is exactly the same one I watched at home last week. If even a single cut had been made, I would not have promoted the film,” the singer said during an Instagram live session on Friday.
Honey Trehan backs the claim of an unaltered film
Director Honey Trehan also spoke about the matter during the livestream, sharing that Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of the late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, had watched the film a second time after its release and confirmed it was exactly the same. “Paramjit aunty also shared a post about the film and said this is the very same version she had watched earlier. Only the title has changed,” he said. He also underlined that the team had held firm throughout the certification process, adding, “Everything I objected to, every word I refused to cut or mute, is still there in the film.”
‘Satluj’s long and exhausting battle with the CBFC
‘Satluj’s’ troubles began when it was first submitted to the CBFC in late 2022, kicking off a long and draining certification process. Instead of moving toward clearance, the film hit one hurdle after another as the board kept raising fresh objections. According to reports, the CBFC had demanded as many as 127 changes, including renaming the lead character, cutting shots of the Indian flag, and removing mentions of the Punjab Police. Honey had earlier opened up about how exhausting the ordeal became, explaining that every time the makers addressed one round of objections and resubmitted the film, yet another list would land on their desk. Matters eventually came to a head, with the director saying he’d rather have his name taken off the project altogether than give in to the demanded cuts.
The real story behind ‘Satluj’
The film is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist who investigated the disappearance of thousands of Sikh youths during the years of militancy in Punjab through the 1980s and 1990s. By going through cremation ground records across the state, Khalra found evidence pointing to mass illegal cremations and alleged staged encounters. His investigation drew international attention to the issue and helped document the disappearance of more than 25,000 people. On September 6, 1995, Khalra was abducted by Punjab Police officers from outside his residence in Amritsar’s Kabir Park. He was reportedly tortured and killed, with his body allegedly disposed of in the Harike canal. In 2005, a Patiala court convicted several police officers involved in the case, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court subsequently upheld the convictions while raising their sentences to life imprisonment.
Satluj’s troubles beyond India
‘Satluj’ also faced problems outside India. It was supposed to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, but was removed from the schedule just a day before it was set to be shown. Variety quoted a source saying “political forces were at play,” but the festival never gave an official reason. Meanwhile, in India, the delays kept increasing. ‘Satluj’ was first planned for a theatre release in February 2025, but that didn’t happen either, as the film stayed stuck in the certification process. Directed by Honey Trehan, the film is made by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies along with MacGuffin Pictures. It stars Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Varun Badola. Go to Source
