More than 50 journalists and film critics have issued a joint statement condemning the removal of director Honey Trehan's film Satluj from ZEE5 less than 48 hours after its release, calling it a case of "executive overreach" and seeking transparency from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Addressed to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the statement said the film, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Kanwaljit Singh, Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, began streaming on ZEE5 on July 3 but was removed from the platform's India catalogue by July 5. ZEE5 said it would remain "unavailable until further notice."
The film, previously titled Punjab '95, is inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and had faced delays before its digital release. Its planned premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 was withdrawn, while its producers challenged an order directing multiple cuts before the Bombay High Court.
According to the statement, the number of cuts sought during the certification process increased from 21 to 85 and eventually to 127.
The signatories noted that films released directly on OTT platforms do not require certification from the Central Board of Film Certification under the current regulatory framework. They argued that the film's removal through another government mechanism amounted to "executive overreach" and called on the ministry to disclose the legal basis for the decision and make public the findings of the Inter-Departmental Committee that reviewed the film.
The statement also criticised the abolition of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal in 2021, saying filmmakers are now forced to pursue lengthy litigation in High Courts.
Among those who signed the statement are journalists and film critics Namrata Joshi, Rahul Desai, Meenakshi Shedde, Vishal Menon, Mohar Basu, Priyanka Roy, Suparna Sharma, Shreevatsa Nevatia, and S.R. Praveen.
Satluj is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated extrajudicial killings and secret mass cremations during Punjab's insurgency in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, Sikh organisations, local activists and residents have begun organising community screenings of the film using copies circulating online. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee also held a protest march in Amritsar and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding that restrictions on the film be lifted.