People attend a special screening of the banned Bollywood movie Satluj, in Amritsar on July 12,, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The story so far: On July 3, the film Satluj, earlier titled Punjab‘95 was removed from OTT (Over-the-Top) offerings soon after it was premiered by ZEE5. The film details the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who worked towards uncovering alleged extrajudicial cremations in Punjab in the traumatic phase of terrorism between the mid-1980s and early-1990s. Even as no official blocking order has been made public, reports have suggested that a central government-appointed committee is examining the film under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The film, directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, premiered after years of delays over a certification dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). However, within two days, the platform removed the film from its India catalogue while continuing to stream it internationally through ZEE5 Global.
Political storm
As the controversy surrounding the film and its removal continued unabated, political organisations, youth outfits and religious bodies have been organising public screenings of the film in villages and towns of Punjab. Announcing that it will screen the film in villages, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), asserted that the aim was to ensure that youngsters should know about the tragedy and repression against Jaswant Singh Khalra and thousands of other Sikh youth. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal noted that this film presents the agony of Punjab during that phase. “And now, the Punjabis, especially the Sikhs, are being stopped from recalling and recording that era in the form of history. The SAD will never remain a mute witness to this injustice,” he stated.
As the politics surrounding the issue gathered momentum, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries,Ravneet Singh Bittu, asserted that the makers of Satluj cannot hide behind the excuse of “creative freedom” while presenting disputed claims as established history.
“Punjab’s painful past is not a script to be selectively edited to suit a narrative,” he pointed out, even as he asked the producer and director of the Satluj movie to place before the people of Punjab the complete documentary evidence, official records, judicial findings and authenticated data that conclusively establish the figure of 25,000 missing or illegally cremated bodies portrayed in the film.
Film screening in villages
The film is being screened using projectors and large screens in open grounds and open courtyards of village gurdwaras in many villages across Punjab. Apart from Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which oversees the administration of historical Gurdwaras, is showing the film. Also, the outfit Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) led by Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan (sovereign state for Sikhs) propagator, who is currently at Dibrugarh jail in Assam under the National Security Act, is prominently involved in screening the film in villages and towns.
What the film’s viewers say
Randeep Dhillon, a 42-year-old resident of Dhilwan village in Barnala district, who last week saw the film in the courtyard of the local Gurdwara, is still carrying the weight of what he had witnessed. He had joined others from his community to watch a film that revisited the turbulent years of militancy in Punjab. “It was a truly soul-shaking experience for me. It tore my heart apart after I witnessed what had happened to our people. So many of our innocent youth lost their lives. Though the movie only showed Sikh youth, it happened to Hindu families as well,” he says.
For Mr. Dhillon, the film was not just a story on screen, it was a reminder of memories he had tried to bury. He had lived through those “black days,” though he only faintly remembered them as a child. “There should be no ban, let people watch it so that they get to know about the violations that occurred. The new generation, the youth, the children should know what the conditions were back then and how much injustice the government did. The governments violated everything. There was absolutely no system of human rights left. It was a total dictatorship,” he says.
‘Ardas’ on July 14
Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, has announced that a special religious gathering will take place on July 14 at Harike Pattan on the banks of the Satluj River. The event will include an ‘Ardas’ (Sikh prayer) for the eternal peace of innocent Sikh youths whose cases were brought to public attention by Khalra. The gathering will also include prayers seeking justice for the families affected during the troubled times.
Published – July 14, 2026 08:43 am IST
