actor: Diljit Dosanjh Satluj was accepted immediately after reading the first draft of the script, director Honey Trehan revealed. In a recent interview, Trehan said that Dosanjh, who plays human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in the film, stood by the project and its story from the beginning. The statement resurfaced today that Satluj was pulled from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its sudden release.
Honey Trehan recalls Diljit Dosanjh’s immediate reaction to the script
In a conversation with Mid Day, Trehan recounted how Dosanjh broached the subject even before he was formally approached about the film. Speaking to Mid-Day, the director said:“Even before I told him that I wanted to do a film on Jaswant Singh Khalra, he immediately said, ‘There is only one story from Punjab worth doing if it is not about 1984.’ I showed him my research book. He looked at the photo of Mr. Khalra, picked up the book, placed it on his forehead, and simply said, ‘Waheguru ji… tell me when and where to go. You’ll find me there.'”
Diljit Dosanjh remained patient during the tough shooting days
Trehan also spoke about Dosanjh’s behavior on set, especially on days marked by delays and scheduling issues. He told Mid-Day.“There are days when he reports at six in the morning and I don’t get his first shot until four in the evening because the schedules get messed up. I keep apologizing. Every time he tells me, ‘Paaji, no problem. Whatever you do, you do for the film. I am here to support the film.’Dosanjh continued to speak actively about the film, its real-life subject, and what the story represented, even as the controversy surrounding its release unfolded.
Why was Satluj pulled from OTT?
On Tuesday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement to news agency ANI that Satluj did not comply with the IT Rules, 2021, and was therefore asked to be removed from ZEE5. Notably, a film or show does not require a censor board certificate for release on an OTT platform in India; however, the ministry hopes for self-regulation and compliance with the regulations laid down under the IT Rules, 2021.The film also stars: Arjun RampalKanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles, and had a three-year journey before finally reaching the platform.
More about ‘Satluj’
‘Satluj’ was earlier titled ‘Panjab ’95’ and follows the true life story of Jaswant Singh Khalra. The narrative is set during the 1980s and 1990s, a turbulent period in Punjab’s history marked by violent militancy, calls for a separate state (Khalistan), and heavy state counterinsurgency operations. Khalra pioneered an independent investigation that exposed the illegal abduction and secret burning of thousands of “unknown” youths by the local police, carried out without informing their families. In 1995, shortly after taking his documentary evidence to the international stage, Khalra himself was kidnapped and killed.