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The Center has ordered OTT platform ZEE5 to take down Diljit Dosanjh-starrer ‘Sutlej’ citing “security concerns” and “liability” under IT Rules 2021, government sources said on Monday, even as Punjab political parties and apex Sikh body SGPC pressed for its release, and the actor-singer can be seen wherever and whenever they want.
Citing IT Rules 2021, ‘Satluj’ has been removed
‘Satuluj’, which chronicles the life of tumultuous activist Jasbant Singh Khalra in Punjab in the 1990s when the state was gripped by terrorism, was stuck with the censors for over three years. Released on ZEE5 on Friday, the film was removed from the platform on Sunday evening.OTT content does not come under the purview of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and is regulated under the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Media Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Ethics) Rules, 2021.
‘Sutlej’ removed for ‘security reasons’
A government official said the makers of ‘Sutlej’ had applied for CBFC certification in 2022 for its original title ‘Punjab 95’, but they did not accept the 127 cuts suggested by the Censor Board and postponed its release.“They sat on the proposed cut and finally quietly released the movie on OTT with a new title. OTT does not come under CBFC’s jurisdiction. When the matter came to the government’s notice, G was asked to take it down (the film).“The directive was issued due to security concerns. The OTT platform was asked to follow the obligations under the intermediary guidelines. If they want to release the film in theaters and OTT, they should follow the prescribed norms,” the official told PTI.
Diljit Dosanjh Encourages fans to download films
Dosanjh said on Monday that this was bound to happen, while ZEE5 issued an appeal asking people not to support piracy as the film had already been downloaded by many.The film directed by The Honey Trehan chronicles the life of Khalra who investigated thousands of unidentified cremations in Punjab over a 10-year period from 1984 to 1994. He was kidnapped in 1995 and has not been seen since. In 2005, four Punjab police personnel were convicted of Khalra’s abduction and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced their sentence to life imprisonment.On Friday, the movie quietly arrived on ZEE5 without any cuts but with a different title and zero promotion, which Dosanjh said was because they didn’t want to spoil the film’s little chance.
Rally of political parties behind Satluj
The issue quickly gained political traction with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress and Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemning the removal of the film from OTT platforms and saying the state must face its past.People should know what happened in those days in Punjab, said Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan.“People will know what is wrong when the reality is shown, and what happened in those days in Punjab,” Manan told PTI over phone.Condemning the “arbitrary removal” of the film, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said, “Efforts to hide government atrocities against Sikhs can never succeed.“Today the honorable court is punishing the police officers of that time. How can anyone turn away from this decision of the court?” Dhami asked.US President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticized the removal of the image, saying, “This is not mere censorship, it is an attack on our collective memory, truth and freedom of expression… Punjab deserves to deal with its past with honesty, not repression.”Veteran Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira echoed him.“I strongly condemn the removal of Diljit Dosanjh’s film ‘Sutlej’ about police brutality in the abduction and elimination of human rights activist Professor Jaswant Singh Khalra in 1995,” he said.AAP leader and MP Malvinder Singh Kang said censorship becomes its most dangerous weapon when a nation starts fearing its own history.AAP’s Baltej Pannu said, “The younger generation wants to know what happened in Punjab in 1978, 1984, 1990 and other important times. If they are denied books and documentaries, films become an important means of preserving historical truth.”Asked to comment on the removal of the film’s OTT, Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon said, “I am looking into the reason. We are taking up the matter.”In an elaborate session on Instagram Live from the US where he is on tour, Dosanjh expressed his anguish.“I had a feeling on Friday that something like this would happen. It was already in my mind. It (the ban) is not something to be shocked about. I thought it would be banned when the office opened on Monday…“But I had no idea that it would happen on Sunday evening. We didn’t even promote the film, we released it like that. If we had promoted it, it wouldn’t have lasted even two days. But I am satisfied that people have seen the film, it has reached them,” said Dosanjh in Punjabi.“It was very important that it reached you and that’s what happened… I’m grateful that what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it, was conveyed. It’s your film and you can watch it however you want,” he said.“The only way to release this film was… without saying anything because it was bound to happen,” Dosanjh said, adding that the more people tried to stop the film, the more popular it would become as nothing would disappear from the internet, not even a voice note sent on WhatsApp.
ZEE5 had a slightly different look.
“We are trying our best to bring ‘Sutlej’ back. Please do yours – don’t support piracy. We are committed to explore every possible way to bring ‘Sutlej’ back to you,” it said in an Instagram post.On Sunday night, it said, “In light of current developments, ‘Sutlej’ will remain unavailable in India until further orders…”The streamer did not specify what he meant by “current development”, but said that the response to the film was overwhelming and that they fully supported the creative conviction behind the film.
‘Satluj’ releases after delay
In 2023, the movie was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was pulled from the line-up without an official statement from the organizers.‘Punjab ’95’ was slated for a worldwide release on February 7, 2025, with no cuts except in India. But that release did not happen. The issue has echoed on social media as well.Tagging former CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi In a post, comedian Kunal Kamra said Khalra had been kidnapped again, “this time by the CBFC”.“And yet again the industry is largely silent on what should alert us all and affect us all. How can we surrender our right to tell stories…especially such powerful emotional stories,” posted filmmaker Onir.director Anurag Bose X-A said he never imagined that Trehan would have to face something like what Iranian filmmaker Zafar Panahi faced in his country.
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