New Delhi: Punjab 95, based on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and starring Diljit Dosanjh in the lead role, has reportedly been removed from Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup.
In July 2023, the makers of Punjab 95 announced the film’s premiere at the upcoming TIFF. However, as per a report in Variety, the movie’s name has been dropped from the lineup. The report said that there is no mention of the Diljit Dosanjh film on the festival’s website currently. Directed by Honey Trehan, the film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
A source told Variety that there are ‘political forces at play’ in the film being pulled from Toronto as Canada has the second largest Sikh population in the world after India. The film is ‘a compelling story based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra’ as per producer RSVP and the festival had described the film as telling the story of Jaswant ‘uncovering murderous corruption during Punjab’s period of insurgency’ in social media posts. However, now any mention of the film has disappeared from the festival’s website, said the report.
Jaswant Singh Khalra fought against alleged fake encounters of Sikh youths by Punjab Police during militancy. Alongside Diljit, Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Pal Vicky are also a part of Punjab 95.
Punjab 95 has been under the radar ever since it was announced. The film was originally titled Ghallughara, a historic term used to refer to the massacre of Sikhs in 1746, 1762 and 1984. When the production banner RSVP applied for certification from India’s Central Board of Film Certification in late 2022, the process took six months. The film was cleared with 21 cuts and a change of title to Punjab 95. RSVP appealed the decision in the Bombay High Court. The decision is pending, Hindustan Times reported.
Presenting the first look of the film, Dosanjh had written on Instagram in July, “Waheguruji ka Khalsa Waheguruji ki Fateh (Sikh saying)! World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival Presenting the first look of Punjab 95, a compelling story based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra Ji.”
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