Caught in a long censorship war and pulled from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its release. Diljit Dosanjh‘Satluj’ has remained in the news. Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the film, the director: Honey Trehan now it is revealed that Diljit charged only Re 1 for the project, and did not accept his usual payment after learning about the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. According to the filmmaker, the actor believes it is “shameful” to charge money for portraying such a unique individual.Trehan said that Diljit’s commitment to the film never wavered despite the hurdles it faced, including its certification dispute Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and its subsequent removal from OTT. The filmmaker explained that he had always considered a Sikh actor to play Jaswant Singh Khalra, believing that the role required someone who understood the community and its experiences.“If Diljit hadn’t been there, this film wouldn’t have existed. I wanted an actor who knew that world. I wanted to cast a Sardar because if I cast a Bollywood actor in the film, the narrative would suddenly be, ‘This actor is playing a Sardar.’ That is an injustice to the journey of Khalra Sahab and the people whose pain this story has brought,” he said in an interview with The Print. Trehan recalls his first meeting with Diljit in 2021, which was initially planned as a short 30-minute discussion. During the meeting, he shared his research and introduced the actor to the life and work of Jaswant Singh Khalra.According to the director, Diljit was immediately moved after seeing Khalra’s photo and made his decision instantly. “He stood up from his chair, touched the script to his forehead and said, ‘Waheguru’, ‘How can I charge to play someone like Khalra? It’s embarrassing.'”Trehan said that he still insisted to pay the actor, but Diljit refused to accept a conventional fee. “However, when the director insisted, the singer simply said that if he wanted to pay him for contractual purposes, he could pay him only Re 1.”‘Satluj’ is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a bank clerk who became one of the most prominent human rights activists in Punjab. His investigation into the alleged cremation of nearly 25,000 unidentified people in the state between 1984 and 1994 brought widespread national attention to the issue.According to the court verdict cited by the filmmakers, Khalra was abducted and later killed while in police custody in 1995.