Waheguru ji... tell me when to come: What Diljit said after reading Satluj script
Honey Trehan said Diljit Dosanjh immediately agreed to star in Satluj after reading the script and research on Jaswant Singh Khalra. The remark has resurfaced as the film was removed from ZEE5 within 48 hours over alleged non-compliance with the IT Rules, 2021.
Actor Diljit Dosanjh instantly accepted Satluj after reading the first draft of the script, director Honey Trehan has said. In an interview with Mid-Day, Trehan said Dosanjh, who plays human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in the film, stood by the project and its story from the beginning. He recalled the 41-year-old saying, "Waheguru ji... tell me when and where to come, you will find me there," after reading the research behind the story.
Trehan's comments came as Satluj was removed from OTT platform ZEE5 within 48 hours of a surprise release. The film, which also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles, had a three-year-long journey to its release on the platform.
Trehan said Dosanjh responded strongly even before he was formally told about the film. "Even before I told him I wanted to make a film on Jaswant Singh Khalra, he immediately said, 'There's only one story from Punjab worth making if it isn't about 1984.' I showed him my research book. He looked at Mr Khalra's photograph, picked up the book, placed it on his forehead, and simply said, 'Waheguru ji... tell me when and where to come. You'll find me there,'" he said.
The director also said Dosanjh remained patient on difficult shooting days, including delays and scheduling problems. "There were days when he reported at six in the morning and I couldn't take his first shot until four in the evening because schedules had gone haywire. I kept apologising. Every single time he would tell me, 'Paaji, no problem. Whatever you're doing, you're doing for the film. I'm here to support the film,'" he said.
Dosanjh has been actively speaking about the film, its subject, the real-life story behind it and what it stands for.
Why was Satluj pulled down from ZEE5?
On Tuesday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement to news agency ANI that Satluj did not adhere to the IT Rules, 2021, and was therefore asked to be pulled down from ZEE5. A film or show does not require a censor board certificate for release on an OTT platform in India. However, the ministry expects self-regulation and compliance with the regulations mentioned in the IT Rules, 2021.
Satluj was earlier titled Panjab '95 and follows the real-life story of Jaswant Singh Khalra. The story is set during the 1980s and 1990s, a turbulent period in Punjab marked by violent militancy, calls for a separate state, or Khalistan, and heavy-handed state counter-insurgency operations.
Khalra pioneered an independent investigation that unearthed the illegal abduction and secret cremation of thousands of "unidentified" youths by the local police, without their families being informed. In 1995, shortly after taking his documented evidence internationally, he was himself abducted and murdered.
Actor Diljit Dosanjh instantly accepted Satluj after reading the first draft of the script, director Honey Trehan has said. In an interview with Mid-Day, Trehan said Dosanjh, who plays human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in the film, stood by the project and its story from the beginning. He recalled the 41-year-old saying, "Waheguru ji... tell me when and where to come, you will find me there," after reading the research behind the story.
Trehan's comments came as Satluj was removed from OTT platform ZEE5 within 48 hours of a surprise release. The film, which also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles, had a three-year-long journey to its release on the platform.
Trehan said Dosanjh responded strongly even before he was formally told about the film. "Even before I told him I wanted to make a film on Jaswant Singh Khalra, he immediately said, 'There's only one story from Punjab worth making if it isn't about 1984.' I showed him my research book. He looked at Mr Khalra's photograph, picked up the book, placed it on his forehead, and simply said, 'Waheguru ji... tell me when and where to come. You'll find me there,'" he said.
The director also said Dosanjh remained patient on difficult shooting days, including delays and scheduling problems. "There were days when he reported at six in the morning and I couldn't take his first shot until four in the evening because schedules had gone haywire. I kept apologising. Every single time he would tell me, 'Paaji, no problem. Whatever you're doing, you're doing for the film. I'm here to support the film,'" he said.
Dosanjh has been actively speaking about the film, its subject, the real-life story behind it and what it stands for.
Why was Satluj pulled down from ZEE5?
On Tuesday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement to news agency ANI that Satluj did not adhere to the IT Rules, 2021, and was therefore asked to be pulled down from ZEE5. A film or show does not require a censor board certificate for release on an OTT platform in India. However, the ministry expects self-regulation and compliance with the regulations mentioned in the IT Rules, 2021.
Satluj was earlier titled Panjab '95 and follows the real-life story of Jaswant Singh Khalra. The story is set during the 1980s and 1990s, a turbulent period in Punjab marked by violent militancy, calls for a separate state, or Khalistan, and heavy-handed state counter-insurgency operations.
Khalra pioneered an independent investigation that unearthed the illegal abduction and secret cremation of thousands of "unidentified" youths by the local police, without their families being informed. In 1995, shortly after taking his documented evidence internationally, he was himself abducted and murdered.
