New Delhi: Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh has broken his silence over Honey Trehan’s ‘Satluj’ being removed from ZEE5 India just two days after its release.
While the film’s sudden takedown surprised many viewers, Diljit revealed that the team had anticipated that possibility and urged fans to circulate downloaded copies of the film.
Speaking during a live session with fans on Monday, the actor said they deliberately chose not to promote the film beforehand, fearing it might never get released.
According to Diljit, their primary objective was to ensure that the story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra reached audiences, even if only for a brief period.
“You can trouble me as much as you want. I am with Punjab till the day I die,” he said.
“The incident took place in 1995 and they didn’t let people talk about it then. It is happening even today. Hadd ho gayi! I’m a little sad. We’re still standing there, this is 2026,” he remarked.
“This was expected from day one, and that is why we couldn’t even promote the film and released it without telling anyone. If we had announced the release and promoted it two days prior, it wouldn’t have been released at all. But now I am satisfied that the film has reached every household. You have the film, people have downloaded it, and today the new youth is talking about it.”
The actor said he had anticipated some kind of action once government offices reopened after the weekend, but was surprised that the film was removed as early as Sunday evening.
“Where I am right now, it’s Sunday evening. The thing that I already suspected might happen on Friday, something that was already on my mind—so it’s not a shock because it seemed likely—yes, I felt that when offices opened on Monday, the film might get banned. But I had no idea it would happen as early as Sunday evening,” Diljit said.
Taking about the hurdles the film faced since the beginning, he said, “It took us 1.5 years to start the film. After the edit, the film was stuck for four years. I was with the film for two years; Honey paaji [Honey Trehan] gave the film six years.”
Even though ‘Satluj’ remained available in India for barely two days, Diljit believes the film fulfilled its purpose.
He was grateful that audiences had watched the film, downloaded it, and sparked conversations about the story it sought to tell.
“But now I am satisfied that the film has reached every household. You have the film, people have downloaded it, and today the new youth is talking about it. I saw a video—a very lovely video that I watched after waking up this morning—where the film is being screened inside a Gurdwara Sahib. So now I am satisfied that the film has reached you. The hard work that everyone put in, it was very important for that effort to reach you, and it has reached you. I am deeply satisfied by this. Glory to the Almighty. I thank everyone and congratulate the entire team because our work, what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it, has reached the people exactly that way,” he said.
Diljit further remarked that once something finds its way onto the internet, it is nearly impossible to prevent people from accessing it. He added that the film now belongs to its audience.
“So now I feel a lot of relief that finally the film is with you. Now it is your film, now it cannot be stopped. This is the people’s film now, you can’t stop it now. I feel those behind this are innocent or uneducated to think that once something comes online, it can just be deleted like that,” he opined.
He appealed to viewers who had downloaded the film while it was available in India to circulate it to others, saying he wanted the story to reach as many people as possible.
“Now you can share it among yourselves, it’s your film. But I’m happy and relieved that the film finally reached the audience. Many people have already downloaded it. Once anything lands online, it never gets deleted. I saw a video from Rajasthan where people are watching the film; I felt very happy. Please show it to your friends and everyone around you,” he said.
Reflecting on the journey of the last four years, he said, “Everyone has the film. Those who haven’t watched it can show it to their friends and companions. As for today, it’s Monday; I hear the film is still available abroad, let’s see how long it stays. Or if the film comes back somewhere, if they can fight for this cause… we have been fighting for this for the last four years.”
The film’s troubles began long before it reached the audience.
Originally titled ‘Punjab ’95’, director Honey had revealed that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) sought 127 cuts before granting certification.
The requested changes included deleting references to real locations such as Tarn Taran and omitting details about the alleged extrajudicial killings investigated by Jaswant Khalra.
The film that briefly streamed on ZEE5 was the unedited version, which had the approval and support of Khalra’s family.
After taking the film off its Indian platform, ZEE5 released an official statement.
“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… 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.”
The platform added: “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.”
‘Satluj’ continues to stream on ZEE5 Global for viewers outside the country.