Diljit Dosanjh reacts after Satluj is taken off ZEE5: I challenge the darkness
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh broke his silence after Satluj was taken down from ZEE5 in India until further notice. He shared a powerful scene from the film on Instagram with a defiant message.
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh reacted after his film Satluj was taken off ZEE5 in India until further notice. The 42-year-old shared a scene from the film on Instagram and wrote, “I challenge the darkness.” The film, originally titled Punjab 95, is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and had premiered on the platform on July 3 after years of delays.
Dosanjh’s post, originally written in Punjabi, was translated as: “#ichallengethedarkness. Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra Ji. #Panjab95. Satluj is what happened to Khalra Saab (sic).” His response came soon after ZEE5 confirmed on social media that the film had been removed.
ZEE5 confirmed the film’s removal on social media. In its statement, the platform said the response to Satluj had been “truly overwhelming” and thanked viewers who subscribed, watched and supported the film.
It added that it stands by the film, its makers and its creative vision, and is exploring legal options through due process to bring it back to viewers in India at the earliest opportunity.
The caption of its post said, “Satluj may have paused. But the conversation it started hasn’t. Thank you for the incredible love. We hope to bring it back soon.”
Earlier in the day, former cricketer and MP Harbhajan Singh had called the film a must-watch.
In a recent interview with Variety India, Dosanjh spoke about the strain of making the film. He said, “It’s honestly one of the hardest films I have ever made in my career. Emotionally and physically, it extracted everything out of all of us. There were the long days, difficult conditions and intense scenes. But ultimately, it was the nature of the subject matter which really clung on to me. I think this is perhaps the first film in my career which required me to recuperate after the shoot.”
He added, “Once a film is wrapped, I quickly move on as I don’t enjoy taking a break. However, after this film, I had to take a week off to process everything that I went through portraying Jaswant Singh Khalra. The scenes, the emotions, and the aspects of the character lingered on, so it took time for me to pull away from that.”
Satluj did not get a theatrical release in India and was released directly on the streaming platform under its new title after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) reportedly sought more than 120 cuts. Reports had said the suggested edits included changes to the title, references to Punjab and the identity of the real-life protagonist.
Director Honey Trehan and the producers had maintained that the film was based on documented events. The controversy also affected its festival run, with the film being withdrawn ahead of its scheduled premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh alongside Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh reacted after his film Satluj was taken off ZEE5 in India until further notice. The 42-year-old shared a scene from the film on Instagram and wrote, “I challenge the darkness.” The film, originally titled Punjab 95, is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and had premiered on the platform on July 3 after years of delays.
Dosanjh’s post, originally written in Punjabi, was translated as: “#ichallengethedarkness. Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra Ji. #Panjab95. Satluj is what happened to Khalra Saab (sic).” His response came soon after ZEE5 confirmed on social media that the film had been removed.
ZEE5 confirmed the film’s removal on social media. In its statement, the platform said the response to Satluj had been “truly overwhelming” and thanked viewers who subscribed, watched and supported the film.
It added that it stands by the film, its makers and its creative vision, and is exploring legal options through due process to bring it back to viewers in India at the earliest opportunity.
The caption of its post said, “Satluj may have paused. But the conversation it started hasn’t. Thank you for the incredible love. We hope to bring it back soon.”
Earlier in the day, former cricketer and MP Harbhajan Singh had called the film a must-watch.
In a recent interview with Variety India, Dosanjh spoke about the strain of making the film. He said, “It’s honestly one of the hardest films I have ever made in my career. Emotionally and physically, it extracted everything out of all of us. There were the long days, difficult conditions and intense scenes. But ultimately, it was the nature of the subject matter which really clung on to me. I think this is perhaps the first film in my career which required me to recuperate after the shoot.”
He added, “Once a film is wrapped, I quickly move on as I don’t enjoy taking a break. However, after this film, I had to take a week off to process everything that I went through portraying Jaswant Singh Khalra. The scenes, the emotions, and the aspects of the character lingered on, so it took time for me to pull away from that.”
Satluj did not get a theatrical release in India and was released directly on the streaming platform under its new title after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) reportedly sought more than 120 cuts. Reports had said the suggested edits included changes to the title, references to Punjab and the identity of the real-life protagonist.
Director Honey Trehan and the producers had maintained that the film was based on documented events. The controversy also affected its festival run, with the film being withdrawn ahead of its scheduled premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh alongside Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.
