New Delhi: Amid the raging controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh-starrer ‘Satluj’, another film has landed in trouble.
Shreyas Talpade and Kajal Aggarwal’s ‘The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress’, a courtroom drama on food safety and public health, is facing opposition from the agrochemical industry barely two weeks before its scheduled July 24 release.
Mumbai lawyer Hiranya Pandey, representing Bhavesh Sodha of Agri Business Centre, has already served a legal notice on the filmmakers — Zee Studios and MIG Production & Studios LLP – seeking disclosure of the scientific basis for the teaser’s ‘slow poison’ claims.
After the filmmakers responded through their advocate, Pandey said he filed a rejoinder with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on July 9 seeking a personal hearing before certification.
The lawyer said his client will move court if the film, written by Sagar B Shinde and directed by Chetan DK, is released without changes.
“The trailer deploys the derogatory and defamatory label ‘Mrityudata’ (provider of death) for ‘Annadata’ (the sustainer and provider of food),” Pandey said.
New Delhi-based Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI), which says it represents nearly 85% of the country’s agrochemical sector, has also written to the CBFC to scrutinise the film before certification.
ACFI Director General Kalyan Goswami said that the film’s teaser contains “misleading and unsubstantiated” claims about pesticides, food safety and Indian agriculture. “The federation is seeking a meeting with CBFC Chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati,” Goswami told India Today Digital.
Watch the teaser here:
The truth may hide for a while, but it can never stay silent.#TheIndiaStory, Slow Poison in Progress.. releasing in cinemas on 24th July 2026, in 3 languages #Hindi #Tamil #Telugu #IndiasMostShockingTruth@MsKajalAggarwal @shreyastalpade1 @murlisharma72 @manishwadhwa… pic.twitter.com/yK2cSffCMj
— Zee Studios (@ZeeStudios_) July 10, 2026
‘Satluj’ faced criticism from some quarters for an apparently ‘flawed depiction’ of Punjab’s turbulent years of Khalistani militancy. The Diljit-starrer started streaming on OTT platform ZEE5, but was withdrawn abruptly after two days.
A government-constituted panel has backed the ban.
‘The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress’, on the other hand, has run into rough weather over its claims on public health and portrayal of Indian agriculture even before its theatrical release.