Why Was Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj Removed From ZEE5 in India?
Satluj, the eagerly awaited movie starring Diljit Dosanjh, has been taken down from the digital platform ZEE5 only two days after its release on July 3, following a series of problems with its certification after many years. The sudden decision to remove the movie from the digital platform has raised new questions about censorship and creative freedom.
The movie, which was earlier titled Punjab ’95, is based on the life story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
Why Was Satluj Removed From ZEE5?
Satluj has been pulled off India’s streaming service by ZEE5 for reasons that were unspecified by the service in its statement. In fact, according to the statement by ZEE5, “in light of current developments, we have removed Satluj from ZEE5 in India until further notice.” ZEE5 says it is considering all its options. ZEE5 has not disclosed any concrete reasons as of now.
A Film That Faced Years of Controversy
This is the latest in the series of struggles that have been experienced by the movie. Initially named Punjab ’95, the film was apparently met with much resistance during the certification period, prompting the Central Board of Film Certification to make several requests for changes. The movie has undergone several name changes from Ghallughara to Punjab ’95 to Satluj and had several delays of its theatrical release.
Eventually, they settled on an OTT premiere instead of a theatrical premiere.
What Is Satluj About?
Produced by Honey Trehan, Satluj is a film that features the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who had made allegations against the government for illegally killing people in Punjab during the 90s.
The movie stars Diljit Dosanjh in the main character role, with Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky featuring in the rest of the cast. The sensitive nature of the content keeps the movie under much discussion even today.
Diljit Dosanjh’s Reaction
After the deletion, Dosanjh posted an image from the movie on social media with the caption, “I challenge the darkness.”
This move was considered by many as a reaction to another problem that the movie encountered after its long-awaited release.
What Has ZEE5 Said?
ZEE5 mentioned in its press statement that it appreciates the support from the viewers and informed that the film cannot be seen by the viewers in India due to recent changes.
The platform further stated that it is still supporting the film and trying all the legal possibilities in order to make it accessible to the Indian audience but no date has been specified yet.
Conclusion
Once again, the film has come under the lens due to the censorship controversy after being pulled off from the streaming platform ZEE5. While the platform is trying to bring back the movie, till date, no official statement has been made regarding the reasons behind its withdrawal.
Satluj had made it past all the stages of getting certified before being pulled off from ZEE5 India just after two days of its release. Till now, there have been no statements issued by ZEE5 regarding its withdrawal.
