After a long certification journey, ‘Satluj’, earlier titled ‘Punjab ’95’, has finally made it to OTT. Inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, the film marks another collaboration between: Diljit Dosanjh and director: Honey Trehan. Recalling the experience, the actor spoke of the deep trust he shared with the filmmaker and Trehan’s influence on his career.Praising the director, Diljit shared with Variety India, “It was an amazing experience working with Honey Trehan. The first thing I would say about her is her energy. I have never met many people with such great enthusiasm and enthusiasm, especially from the first to the last shot of the day.He also recalls that it was Honey Trehan who encouraged him to audition for ‘Udta Punjab’, his first Hindi film.“Working with Honey sir has been inspiring, and my relationship with him has grown over the years. In fact, when I started my career in Hindi cinema with ‘Udta Punjab’, it was Honey Trehan who called me and offered me an audition. I look up to him as an elder brother, and he was one of the first to encourage me and show confidence in my talent, so I have learned a lot from this film or in general over the years.”Diljit explained that working with Trehan never felt like a routine film shoot. However, every day on the set became an opportunity to sharpen his skills.“He shaped me in many ways, which I still hold dear to myself, even if I don’t say it directly to him. One of the many things that makes working with him more exciting and special is that it doesn’t feel like we’re working on a film. Every day on the set feels like a learning experience. It’s like we walked into a workshop or an acting class, and every scene has a lesson for you.”
The portrayal of Jaswant Singh Khalra took an emotional toll
While the collaboration proved to be creatively satisfying, Diljit admitted that stepping into the shoes of Jaswant Singh Khalra was one of the toughest challenges of his acting career.“It’s actually one of the hardest films I’ve ever done in my career. Emotionally and physically, it took everything out of all of us. There were long days, difficult situations and intense scenes. But in the end, it was the nature of the subject that stuck with me. I think this is probably the first film in my career that required me to recover after the shoot.Different from his usual routine of jumping into another project, the actor revealed that he needed time to detack himself in that role.“Once a film wraps, I move on quickly as I don’t like to take a break. But, after this film, I had to take a week to process everything I went through portraying Jaswant Singh Khalra. The scenes, the emotions, and the character aspects stayed, so it took time for me to get away from that.
Researching the paper changed his perspective
Diljit also shared that he spent a lot of time reading documents and testimonies related to the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra before the start of filming. He describes the research process as extremely emotional.“There are many documents, true accounts, and testimonies that are very difficult to read. Most of these real life events are heartbreaking. I couldn’t process it all. There were times during the research that I was broken because the reality was so strong and heavy.”He added that the film captures only a fraction of Khalra’s journey and hopes that the audience will understand the incredible courage behind his story.“What we show in the film is a small part of what really happened because you can’t recreate everything that happened. The reality is more painful than what we describe. I carry that with me throughout. This is not one man’s story but one of unparalleled courage in unimaginable circumstances. Jaswant Singh Khalra knew all the dangers. He knows that he and his family are in danger, and he still stands by his faith and truth. That kind of courage is rare, and you can’t do it with anything but responsibility.”Calling ‘Satluj’ more than a film, Diljit concluded, “More than being a film, it was an emotional experience for me. It was a learning and a deeply humbling experience. This story left an indelible impact on me and my outlook on life.‘Satluj’ is now streaming on Zee5.