Union Minister calls Diljit Dosanjh an impostor, questions Satluj takedown claims
Ravneet Singh Bittu denied any government role in Satluj being removed from Zee5 and blamed the makers. He also attacked Diljit Dosanjh's motives and questioned the film's portrayal of Punjab's militancy years.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has called actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh an "impostor" while responding to the controversy over the removal of the his film Satluj from Zee5. Rejecting allegations that the Centre had a role in taking the film down, Bittu said the government had no control over OTT platforms. The row has intensified after the film disappeared from the platform within 48 hours of its release, with sections of the Punjabi film industry, social media users and the Punjab government questioning whether political pressure was behind the move.
Speaking in Ludhiana, Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, accused Diljit of being driven by money and alleged that the actor had misled people over the film’s brief streaming window. He also criticised the film’s portrayal of Punjab’s militancy years and expanded his attack to Dosanjh’s public positions, his film choices and his conduct at shows abroad.
Bittu said, "Diljit Dosanjh only thinks about money.” Questioning the claim that the government was responsible for the film’s removal, he said, “We should have understood that there was something fishy when Diljit Dosanjh said that the film would be available on the OTT platform for two-three days and then would be removed. If the government really intended to remove the film, why would it allow it to stream in the first place.”
He added, “It seems that once they had earned the required money, they removed the film. The government has no control over OTT platforms.”
The Union minister also launched a personal attack on Dosanjh over his film choices. Referring to Chamkila, he said, “If Diljit Dosanjh had any respect for the women in his family, such as his mother or sister, he would not have acted in the movie Chamkila.” Bittu also said Dosanjh made a film on Amar Singh Chamkila, whom he described as a singer of vulgar songs, to earn money, and asked where the actor had been when Jaswant Singh Khalra was struggling.
Bittu further called Dosanjh an impostor and said he was misleading Punjab while sitting in Los Angeles in the US. He said that during his shows abroad, Dosanjh asks for people bringing Khalistan flags to be thrown out, and then asked, “Which agencies are behind Diljit?”
On Satluj, Bittu said he was not against films on Punjab’s militancy years, but objected to what he described as one-sided storytelling. “I am not against the movie, but a one-sided story should not be shown,” he said. He also challenged Dosanjh and director Honey Trehan to make a film on the sacrifices of police personnel during the insurgency, asking, “Will Diljit Dosanjh and Honey Trehan make a movie on the police officers who were assassinated during the 1984 era?”
The controversy began after Satluj started streaming on Zee5 and then suddenly became unavailable within two days. The abrupt removal led to speculation that the platform had acted under government pressure. Amid the row, Dosanjh had said the film would remain on the platform only briefly before being taken down, which further added to the questions over its removal. The film includes references to the role of the Beant Singh government and Punjab Police during the final phase of militancy in the state.
Bittu’s remarks have come at a time when the film’s removal remains under scrutiny and his own name has been drawn into the controversy after the Punjab government alleged that he had played a role in getting it taken down. Beant Singh, whom Bittu is related to, served as Punjab Chief Minister from 1992 until his assassination in a suicide bomb attack outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995, during a period that remains debated because of the state’s counter-insurgency campaign and allegations of human rights violations by security forces. Diljit's film also features Beant Singh's assassination.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has called actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh an "impostor" while responding to the controversy over the removal of the his film Satluj from Zee5. Rejecting allegations that the Centre had a role in taking the film down, Bittu said the government had no control over OTT platforms. The row has intensified after the film disappeared from the platform within 48 hours of its release, with sections of the Punjabi film industry, social media users and the Punjab government questioning whether political pressure was behind the move.
Speaking in Ludhiana, Bittu, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, accused Diljit of being driven by money and alleged that the actor had misled people over the film’s brief streaming window. He also criticised the film’s portrayal of Punjab’s militancy years and expanded his attack to Dosanjh’s public positions, his film choices and his conduct at shows abroad.
Bittu said, "Diljit Dosanjh only thinks about money.” Questioning the claim that the government was responsible for the film’s removal, he said, “We should have understood that there was something fishy when Diljit Dosanjh said that the film would be available on the OTT platform for two-three days and then would be removed. If the government really intended to remove the film, why would it allow it to stream in the first place.”
He added, “It seems that once they had earned the required money, they removed the film. The government has no control over OTT platforms.”
The Union minister also launched a personal attack on Dosanjh over his film choices. Referring to Chamkila, he said, “If Diljit Dosanjh had any respect for the women in his family, such as his mother or sister, he would not have acted in the movie Chamkila.” Bittu also said Dosanjh made a film on Amar Singh Chamkila, whom he described as a singer of vulgar songs, to earn money, and asked where the actor had been when Jaswant Singh Khalra was struggling.
Bittu further called Dosanjh an impostor and said he was misleading Punjab while sitting in Los Angeles in the US. He said that during his shows abroad, Dosanjh asks for people bringing Khalistan flags to be thrown out, and then asked, “Which agencies are behind Diljit?”
On Satluj, Bittu said he was not against films on Punjab’s militancy years, but objected to what he described as one-sided storytelling. “I am not against the movie, but a one-sided story should not be shown,” he said. He also challenged Dosanjh and director Honey Trehan to make a film on the sacrifices of police personnel during the insurgency, asking, “Will Diljit Dosanjh and Honey Trehan make a movie on the police officers who were assassinated during the 1984 era?”
The controversy began after Satluj started streaming on Zee5 and then suddenly became unavailable within two days. The abrupt removal led to speculation that the platform had acted under government pressure. Amid the row, Dosanjh had said the film would remain on the platform only briefly before being taken down, which further added to the questions over its removal. The film includes references to the role of the Beant Singh government and Punjab Police during the final phase of militancy in the state.
Bittu’s remarks have come at a time when the film’s removal remains under scrutiny and his own name has been drawn into the controversy after the Punjab government alleged that he had played a role in getting it taken down. Beant Singh, whom Bittu is related to, served as Punjab Chief Minister from 1992 until his assassination in a suicide bomb attack outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995, during a period that remains debated because of the state’s counter-insurgency campaign and allegations of human rights violations by security forces. Diljit's film also features Beant Singh's assassination.
