Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj removed from ZEE5: ‘The film will be unavailable in India’

4 min readUpdated: Jul 5, 2026 10:05 PM IST

Jaswant Singh Khalra Biopic Satluj, starring Diljit Dosanjh, removed From ZEE5.

Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was taken down from ZEE5 on Sunday, just two days after premiering on the platform.

Annoucing the decision, the OTT platform said, “In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice.”

A note posted by ZEE on social media read, “The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming. We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a great deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life. At ZEE5, we stand firmly by Satluj and the creative vision behind it. We believe powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact. We remain committed to championing authentic and meaningful narratives.

It further read, “In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity. Our commitment to creators and to stories told with conviction, artistic integrity and purpose remains unwavering.”

Also Read – Satluj movie review: Diljit Dosanjh’s performance gives this film its strength

Honey Trehan’s much-awaited film Satluj, which was previously titled Punjab 95, released on ZEE5 on July 3 after years of delays.

The film’s prolonged delay stemmed from a censorship dispute that began after it was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in 2022. Over several months, the board sought numerous cuts before granting certification. In September 2023, Punjab 95 was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). However, the filmmakers were informed by Indian authorities that the screening would have to be withdrawn.

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In an exclusive interview with SCREEN last year, Honey Trehan detailed the prolonged certification process. “At first instance, I made the 21 cuts reluctantly, thinking this way the film wouldn’t get stuck. They wanted the name changed right from the beginning (it started off by being called ‘Ghaluhgara’), and they also wanted us to drop the line ‘inspired from true events.’ We made the cuts, created a new DCP (print) and gave it in, they came back with some more cuts. We made those also, and gave in a fresh print yet again, and again there was silence.”

According to the filmmaker, the cycle continued throughout 2024, with fresh cuts being suggested after every submission. At the beginning of 2025, there were discussions about releasing the film outside India, but that plan, too, did not materialise. Speaking about some of the changes sought by the CBFC, Trehan had said: “Amongst the cuts demanded are the ones that ‘we have verbally been told are non-negotiable’. Change Khalra’s name. Drop any visuals of the Indian flag. Take out all sounds of the ‘gurbani.’ Don’t say Punjab police, when it is clearly the state police in turbans that’s on screen. Take out the names of the places mentioned in the film where the bodies were discovered in the morgue. And change the name of the film. What is left then?”

The matter had also reached the Bombay High Court in 2023. However, at a crucial stage, the producers were advised to withdraw the case. What followed, according to Honey Trehan, was a series of postponements and continued uncertainty. Speaking to SCREEN at the time, he had revealed that the film would eventually be released under the title Sutlej and that the production team had complied with all the cuts sought by the authorities.

Also Read – Diljit Dosanjh on Punjab 95’s title change to Satluj: ‘Absolutely no cuts in the film’

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Starring Diljit Dosanjh, Kanwaljeet Singh, Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, among others, Satluj revisits one of Punjab’s darkest chapters, focusing on the disappearances, alleged extra-judicial killings and illegal detentions linked to the state’s counter-insurgency operations against Khalistani militancy during the 1980s and 1990s.