Satluj actor Varun Badola reacts to Diljit urging fans to download film and watch
Actor Varun Badola has said he cannot support piracy amid the Satluj controversy and Diljit Dosanjh's call to circulate copies. His remarks come as the film remains blocked, screenings continue elsewhere, and the dispute deepens over access and censorship.
As the row surrounding actor Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj intensifies, co-actor Varun Badola has broken his silence on the movie's sudden removal from OTT and Dosanjh's subsequent remarks advocating piracy. The Honey Trehan-directed biographical drama was taken down from Zee5 within 48 hours of its streaming release, sparking fresh public screenings outside the platform.
In response to the censorship row, Dosanjh urged fans during an Instagram Live session to circulate downloaded copies — a move that Badola respects given the circumstances, but says he cannot personally support.
The ongoing developments have triggered a massive debate around censorship, due process, and the circulation of the film outside authorised channels. While Satluj has recently been screened in Jammu for local communities, and organisations like the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee have planned more screenings in gurudwaras, Badola emphasised his firm stance against illegal distribution.
Reacting to the controversy, the actor, who plays advocate Ravinder Jais in the film, stated that while the situation is incredibly unique, he holds a strong personal rule against watching or promoting pirated content.
“I’ve been seeing videos of the film being screened in villages on Instagram. We keep fighting against piracy. I understand that this situation is very different, but I still can’t advocate piracy. I won’t watch the pirated version. That’s a rule I’ve always followed. So, I’ll wait. The only thing we can all do right now is wait,” Varun said, adding that he has still not watched Satluj.
He said he was initially confused when people spoke to him about the film by its current title. “When my cricketing fraternity told me about my look and character in it, I thought they were talking about some other film. When they mentioned Satluj, I told them I haven’t done a film that goes by that name. It was earlier called Punjab ’95. We were in Belapur for a family gathering when it was released. My wife and I thought that we would watch it in due course,” he said.
Badola said the film was taken down within 48 hours. “It’s not like I didn’t watch it because they wanted to make and release it in complete secrecy. Each time Honey would ask me to watch it, I never got around to it. I knew it would eventually release and I would watch it then. I have a problem watching my own work, so I didn’t push him too much. During dubbing, I only watched some of my scenes,” he said.
Calling the takedown “robbery under broad daylight," Varun said restrictions on films were not without precedent. “It’s not like restrictions weren’t ever imposed on any film in the past. So many Indian films have been banned. Sometimes, the powers that be feel that a course correction is important. Only they know why they decided to ban our film,” he said.
He also mentioned that the film presents a perspective audiences are now being deprived of seeing. "Through our film, we put forth a point of view. Those who are judging it would perhaps understand, after watching the full movie, that it may not be about what they think at all," Badola said.
Reflecting on his conversation with director Honey Trehan two days after the film's removal, Varun highlighted that even Trehan lacked clarity. "Ideally, he should have had information, but he had none. Whatever is happening right now is between the streaming platform and government authorities," Badola said. He added that he avoids bombarding the director with questions, trusting that Trehan will share updates as soon as he has them.
Despite a recent petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against "illegal" public screenings and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s committee ruling that the film remain blocked, Badola found a silver lining in the public response. “No one can stop a film once the public has embraced it,” he said.
The film, produced by Abhishek Chaubey also features actors Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles.
As the row surrounding actor Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj intensifies, co-actor Varun Badola has broken his silence on the movie's sudden removal from OTT and Dosanjh's subsequent remarks advocating piracy. The Honey Trehan-directed biographical drama was taken down from Zee5 within 48 hours of its streaming release, sparking fresh public screenings outside the platform.
In response to the censorship row, Dosanjh urged fans during an Instagram Live session to circulate downloaded copies — a move that Badola respects given the circumstances, but says he cannot personally support.
The ongoing developments have triggered a massive debate around censorship, due process, and the circulation of the film outside authorised channels. While Satluj has recently been screened in Jammu for local communities, and organisations like the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee have planned more screenings in gurudwaras, Badola emphasised his firm stance against illegal distribution.
Reacting to the controversy, the actor, who plays advocate Ravinder Jais in the film, stated that while the situation is incredibly unique, he holds a strong personal rule against watching or promoting pirated content.
“I’ve been seeing videos of the film being screened in villages on Instagram. We keep fighting against piracy. I understand that this situation is very different, but I still can’t advocate piracy. I won’t watch the pirated version. That’s a rule I’ve always followed. So, I’ll wait. The only thing we can all do right now is wait,” Varun said, adding that he has still not watched Satluj.
He said he was initially confused when people spoke to him about the film by its current title. “When my cricketing fraternity told me about my look and character in it, I thought they were talking about some other film. When they mentioned Satluj, I told them I haven’t done a film that goes by that name. It was earlier called Punjab ’95. We were in Belapur for a family gathering when it was released. My wife and I thought that we would watch it in due course,” he said.
Badola said the film was taken down within 48 hours. “It’s not like I didn’t watch it because they wanted to make and release it in complete secrecy. Each time Honey would ask me to watch it, I never got around to it. I knew it would eventually release and I would watch it then. I have a problem watching my own work, so I didn’t push him too much. During dubbing, I only watched some of my scenes,” he said.
Calling the takedown “robbery under broad daylight," Varun said restrictions on films were not without precedent. “It’s not like restrictions weren’t ever imposed on any film in the past. So many Indian films have been banned. Sometimes, the powers that be feel that a course correction is important. Only they know why they decided to ban our film,” he said.
He also mentioned that the film presents a perspective audiences are now being deprived of seeing. "Through our film, we put forth a point of view. Those who are judging it would perhaps understand, after watching the full movie, that it may not be about what they think at all," Badola said.
Reflecting on his conversation with director Honey Trehan two days after the film's removal, Varun highlighted that even Trehan lacked clarity. "Ideally, he should have had information, but he had none. Whatever is happening right now is between the streaming platform and government authorities," Badola said. He added that he avoids bombarding the director with questions, trusting that Trehan will share updates as soon as he has them.
Despite a recent petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against "illegal" public screenings and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s committee ruling that the film remain blocked, Badola found a silver lining in the public response. “No one can stop a film once the public has embraced it,” he said.
The film, produced by Abhishek Chaubey also features actors Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles.
