Ram Gopal Varma Reviews Diljit Dosanjh Satluj After Zee5 Takedown Appeals Not To Meet Same Fate As Jaswant Singh Khalra

Honey Trehan’s Diljit Dosanjh-starrer, which was previously titled Punjab ‘95, was released on Zee5 on Friday as Satluj. The film received rave reviews and was widely discussed before it was pulled from the OTT platform in India by Sunday evening. Ram Gopal Varma posted a review for the film on Tuesday, making an appeal for it not to be ‘encountered’.

RGV began his review of Satluj by calling it a wound that will never heal. “Just saw SATLUJ and it is not a film, but a deep wound that will never heal. It stirs up the sludge in one of the darkest chapters of our history,” wrote the filmmaker, adding, “This is cinema used as confrontation, where @diljitdosanjh acts with a quiet fury with no chest thumping heroism.. His only weapons are a ledger and a conscience. @rampalarjun adds layers of moral rot in the institutional complicity that feels chillingly realistic.”

He also praised Honey for not sensationalising what unfolds in the film and instead ensuring the film hits harder. “Director @honeytrehan instead of sensationalising the horror unfolds the film like a slow burn investigative thriller through bureaucratic files, cremation records, and hushed conversations. This restraint makes the brutality of the subject matter hit that much harder because it explodes with the force of truth and not exploitation,” wrote RGV.

RGV also wrote that Satluj has done its job as it made people uncomfortable, writing, “The philosophical core of the film about how a democracy devours its own citizens and then tries to erase the evidence is explored without any preachiness and that’s no normal achievement. The various issues surrounding its exhibition and publication prove that any art which makes the powerful uncomfortable has done its job, and that is the true purpose of true art, which SATLUJ is.”

“It is highly courageous essential filmmaking because it unsettles, educates, and lingers. In the times where main stream chases spectacle and popcorn cinema, SUTLEJ shoots out a hard reminder of what cinematic medium can truly achieve when it takes on truth and honesty,” summed up RGV, adding an appeal, “SATLUJ is a film that has to be seen, shown, discussed, debated and not ENCOUNTERED like the victims in the film. My appeal to all the powers is, please don’t do to SATLUJ what has been done to JASWANT SINGH KALRA. TRUTH HITS HARDER when one tries to HIDE IT. — AYN RAND.”

Satluj is directed by Honey Trehan and stars Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky, Kanwaljit Singh, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan. The film tells the story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and his disappearance after he discovers that the Punjab police force has allegedly killed and illegally cremated 25,000 bodies. It is set in Punjab in 1995 and took a three-year journey to be released on OTT. Satluj was meant to be released in theatres, but the CBFC reportedly asked for 125 cuts. The film is currently unavailable to stream in India but is available on Zee5 abroad.

Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More