Mumbai: Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has been taken down from streaming platform ZEE5 just two days after its release, triggering reactions from celebrities and politicians.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) said the film was released on the OTT platform without the required certification process being completed, while ZEE5 confirmed that the film will remain unavailable in India until further notice.
According to I&B Ministry officials, the film did not have the required certification for a theatrical release. An official told ANI, “Satluj did not have the required certification for a theatrical release. Instead of complying with the certification process, the makers changed the film’s title and released it on an OTT platform on Friday.”
The official further alleged that the release violated the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, although no specific provision was identified.
The official also stated that the certification body had recommended nearly 100 cuts to the film. Rather than implementing those changes, the makers allegedly changed the film’s title and proceeded with its OTT release.
The Ministry also said it had not received any representation from the filmmakers seeking approval or reconsideration before the film was released.
Confirming the removal, ZEE5 said in an official statement on Sunday, “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.”
The development drew reactions from political leaders, including senior Congress leader Pargat Singh, who said, “The real thing is that the propaganda films that the BJP makes, whether it’s ‘The Kerala Story’ or others, are shown wherever elections occur as part of their propaganda. But real-time human rights violations… If such things don’t come on a public platform, how will correction occur?”
He added, “Power should be used, not misused. I say that a criminal should be treated like a criminal. But ultimately, human rights are also every person’s right… I think such a movie should never be banned. It should be seen, learned from, to see how people misuse their power.”
Hours after the film was removed, Diljit Dosanjh said during a live Instagram interaction on Monday, “My love and respect to all of you. What I had already expected is exactly what happened. I thought the film might get banned when offices will open on Monday, but I didn’t know it would happen as early as Sunday evening.”
“But now I have the satisfaction that at least our work has reached people the way we wanted it to. People have already downloaded it. One thing that made me especially happy was seeing that they’re even screening the movie with a projector at Gurudwara Sahib. It brought me immense joy to see that,” he said.
