This one Satluj scene has sparked a fierce online backlash
A scene from Satluj has triggered sharp reactions online. The row has renewed scrutiny of the film's portrayal, even as its removal from Zee5 remains under focus.
A scene from Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj has sparked criticism on social media, with some users questioning its depiction of a suicide bomber approaching the Punjab Chief Minister's car and the use of music in the background. Some of those reacting to the clip said the sequence appeared to glorify a slightly fictionalised version of the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who is played in the film by SM Zaheer.
The debate has come at a time when Satluj is already under focus after being taken off Zee5 in India until further notice. The film, inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, had earlier gone through a long certification dispute before being released uncut under a new title.
Sharing the scene on X, one user wrote, "In the movie Satluj, the assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh is glorified. CM Beant Singh was assassinated by Khaalistanis and in the movie there was no link of Khalistani (sic)."
Another user said a song playing in the background was "a call to heroes to take their spiritual fight and valour to the battlefield to face the enemies", and argued that the scene showed the assassination of Beant Singh without any Khalistani link, making it look more like "an aam aadmi's aakrosh". The user added that this was why "#satluj needed 127 cuts" and why "the ban in current times of increasing K-tani influence was much needed (sic)".
A third user called the scene "deeply problematic" and wrote, "It depicts the assassination of CM in suicide bombing while using an uplifting, positive song in the background making the scene appear glorified. What was your intent behind this portrayal? Please explain @diljitdosanjh. As far as I read, pro-Khalistan terrorist involved in the assassination of former CM was sentenced to life imprisonment."
Other users defended the film and said the clip was being viewed without the wider context of the story. Responding to one such post, an X user said the film was set in 1995 and showed how the police department was killing innocent people "just to get promotions", and that even the Chief Minister was involved. The user added that the family of the person who carried out the attack had been killed in the same way and declared terrorists.
The same post described Satluj as the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, played by Dosanjh, and said that in the 1990s he investigated the disappearance of thousands of Sikh youths in Punjab. According to the post, Khalra used municipal and cremation ground records to uncover evidence of state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings and mass cremations, estimating that more than 25,000 people were unlawfully killed. The post added that he was later abducted by police in 1995, and that the officers involved were subsequently convicted.
Another user also pushed back against the criticism and wrote, "Did you see the movie? It seems you just took an internet clip to comment on. The song was from the perspective of the person who was wronged. His entire family assassinated. It did not glorify the death of a CM (sic)."
The film has drawn fresh attention to Khalra's life after it was removed from Zee5. Dosanjh addressed the takedown in an Instagram post in Punjabi, which translated to: "I challenge the darkness. Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra Ji. Punjab 95. Satluj is what happened to Khalra Saab." Zee5 later confirmed the removal in a statement on social media, saying the response to Satluj had been overwhelming and thanking viewers who had subscribed, watched and supported it. The platform said it continued to back the film, its director and its creative vision, and that it was exploring legal options to bring Satluj back for viewers in India as soon as possible.
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in pivotal roles. Earlier titled Punjab '95, the film had remained stuck for nearly three years in a certification dispute after the Central Board of Film Certification reportedly sought 127 cuts, a figure also cited by the makers, before it was finally released uncut under a new name. The latest argument online has centred on a single sequence, with some users calling it insensitive and others saying it is being judged without the full context of the film's story.
A scene from Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj has sparked criticism on social media, with some users questioning its depiction of a suicide bomber approaching the Punjab Chief Minister's car and the use of music in the background. Some of those reacting to the clip said the sequence appeared to glorify a slightly fictionalised version of the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who is played in the film by SM Zaheer.
The debate has come at a time when Satluj is already under focus after being taken off Zee5 in India until further notice. The film, inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, had earlier gone through a long certification dispute before being released uncut under a new title.
Sharing the scene on X, one user wrote, "In the movie Satluj, the assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh is glorified. CM Beant Singh was assassinated by Khaalistanis and in the movie there was no link of Khalistani (sic)."
Another user said a song playing in the background was "a call to heroes to take their spiritual fight and valour to the battlefield to face the enemies", and argued that the scene showed the assassination of Beant Singh without any Khalistani link, making it look more like "an aam aadmi's aakrosh". The user added that this was why "#satluj needed 127 cuts" and why "the ban in current times of increasing K-tani influence was much needed (sic)".
A third user called the scene "deeply problematic" and wrote, "It depicts the assassination of CM in suicide bombing while using an uplifting, positive song in the background making the scene appear glorified. What was your intent behind this portrayal? Please explain @diljitdosanjh. As far as I read, pro-Khalistan terrorist involved in the assassination of former CM was sentenced to life imprisonment."
Other users defended the film and said the clip was being viewed without the wider context of the story. Responding to one such post, an X user said the film was set in 1995 and showed how the police department was killing innocent people "just to get promotions", and that even the Chief Minister was involved. The user added that the family of the person who carried out the attack had been killed in the same way and declared terrorists.
The same post described Satluj as the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, played by Dosanjh, and said that in the 1990s he investigated the disappearance of thousands of Sikh youths in Punjab. According to the post, Khalra used municipal and cremation ground records to uncover evidence of state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings and mass cremations, estimating that more than 25,000 people were unlawfully killed. The post added that he was later abducted by police in 1995, and that the officers involved were subsequently convicted.
Another user also pushed back against the criticism and wrote, "Did you see the movie? It seems you just took an internet clip to comment on. The song was from the perspective of the person who was wronged. His entire family assassinated. It did not glorify the death of a CM (sic)."
The film has drawn fresh attention to Khalra's life after it was removed from Zee5. Dosanjh addressed the takedown in an Instagram post in Punjabi, which translated to: "I challenge the darkness. Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra Ji. Punjab 95. Satluj is what happened to Khalra Saab." Zee5 later confirmed the removal in a statement on social media, saying the response to Satluj had been overwhelming and thanking viewers who had subscribed, watched and supported it. The platform said it continued to back the film, its director and its creative vision, and that it was exploring legal options to bring Satluj back for viewers in India as soon as possible.
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in pivotal roles. Earlier titled Punjab '95, the film had remained stuck for nearly three years in a certification dispute after the Central Board of Film Certification reportedly sought 127 cuts, a figure also cited by the makers, before it was finally released uncut under a new name. The latest argument online has centred on a single sequence, with some users calling it insensitive and others saying it is being judged without the full context of the film's story.
