Satluj Row: MP-RTI Activist Saket Gokhale Questions Removal Of Diljit Dosanjh-Starrer From OTT, Writes To Government

Honey Trehan’s film Satluj, starring Diljit Dosanjh, was released on Zee5 on Friday (July 3) and abruptly removed by Sunday (July 5) evening. The sudden removal sparked backlash from political leaders, religious bodies and audiences, reigniting conversations around censorship and artistic freedom.

Member of Parliament and RTI activist Saket Gokhale wrote a formal letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw questioning the film's removal from OTT.

Satluj, which was previously titled Punjab '95, is about the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed thousands of illegal police cremations and killings in Punjab in the 90s.

Gokhale slams purported ban on Satluj

Gokhale shared a copy of his letter to the ministry on social media.

"I was fortunate to watch the film 'Satluj’ yesterday before an order, purportedly from your Ministry, forced the OTT platform Zee5 to take it down. I am not sure if you have watched the film but I would highly recommend that you do so in order to understand that you are doing a great disservice to our country by banning the film (sic)," Gokhale said in the letter.

On the historical importance of the film, he said, "Satluj is a gut-punch to everyone who is either unaware or ignorant of the events of 1995 in Punjab. The film remembers a human rights hero Jaswant Singh Khalra who was killed for exposing extra-judicial killings and for trying to find out what happened to victims of those dark times whose bodies were marked as 'unclaimed' and disposed of while their families wait for them even today (sic)."

Gokhale also said that it is "unfathomable" why such a powerful film would be banned while other countries have confronted their dark past. "The darkness of 1995 shown in Satluj is a human rights failure that implicates our collective system. The film does not point or single out any political party but uses facts to show how some rotten people in our system engaged in mass killings purely for their personal benefit (sic)," he added.

He also wrote that "banning the film will not erase the darkness nor will it absolve all of us for what was done to Punjab. Instead, the conversation sparked by this powerful film should be a starting point for righting the wrongs that we committed so that, perhaps, the process of healing can begin (sic)."

"I understand this is a futile exercise but history will not forgive us if we choose to remain silent," he captioned the post.

About Satluj

Dosanjh played Jaswant Singh Khalra, the human rights activist who was abducted by Punjab Police outside his Amritsar home on September 6, 1995, and murdered in custody.

Earlier, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) suggested more than 120 cuts, which the makers refused, and four years after the censorship battle, it was released uncut on Zee5. However, it was short-lived.

Following the takedown, Zee5 released a statement that read: "In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice," adding that it firmly stands with the film and its team.