Diljit Dosanjh On Satluj Formerly Punjab 95 Releasing Uncut After 3 Year Cbfc Battle If Even A Single Cut Was Made

. The actor's social drama Satluj, earlier known as Punjab 95, started streaming on ZEE5 Global on July 3 after a prolonged battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Despite the long road to release, the film has arrived without the cuts its makers had spent years fighting against.

Before it finally reached audiences, the film had already changed names twice. It was first announced as Ghallughara, later became Punjab '95 during the CBFC certification process, and has now been released as Satluj, named after the river in Punjab.

Director Honey Trehan also addressed the issue during the livestream. He revealed that Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, had watched the film again after its release and confirmed that it was unchanged.

“Paramjit aunty also shared a post about the film and said this is the very same version she had watched earlier. Only the title has changed,” he said.

Trehan further stressed that the team had stood by the film throughout the certification process. “Everything I objected to, every word I refused to cut or mute, is still there in the film.”

When Satluj was submitted to the CBFC in late 2022, the certification process turned into a long and frustrating wait. Instead of getting clearance, the film remained stuck as the board repeatedly raised objections. Reports said the CBFC had asked for 127 changes, including changing the lead character's name, removing shots featuring the Indian flag and deleting references to the Punjab Police.

Honey Trehan has previously spoken about how draining the process became. He said every time the makers addressed one set of objections and submitted the film again, another list of changes would arrive. The situation eventually reached a point where the director said he would rather remove his name from the film than accept the cuts that had been demanded.

Satluj draws inspiration from the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the human rights activist who investigated the alleged disappearance of thousands of Sikh youths during Punjab's militancy years in the 1980s and 1990s. While examining records at cremation grounds across the state, Khalra uncovered evidence that pointed to large-scale illegal cremations and alleged fake encounters. His findings brought international attention to the issue and documented the disappearance of over 25,000 people.

The film also ran into trouble outside India. It was scheduled to make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 but was pulled from the line-up just a day before the screening. At the time, Variety quoted a source claiming that "political forces were at play," although the festival did not officially address the reason behind the decision.

Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj is backed by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP Movies in association with MacGuffin Pictures. Apart from Diljit Dosanjh, the film also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Varun Badola.