Satluj controversy: Director Honey Trehan shares message after ZEE5 removes Diljit Dosanjh’s film
Director Honey Trehan posted a message of approval after ZEE5 dropped Satluj in India within two days of its release. The move has thrown the long-delayed Diljit Dosanjh film into uncertainty again.
Satluj Director Honey Trehan reacted with a message of hope after his film was removed from the OTT platform just two days after its release. Sharing the streaming platform’s statement on Instagram Stories, the filmmaker said he has accepted ‘God’s will’. His reaction came after the platform announced that the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer will be unavailable in India until further notice.
Trehan’s long delayed film Satlujthe first title was Punjab 95Released uncut on ZEE5 on Friday after years of uncertainty. However, the film was removed from the platform on Sunday, surprising fans just days after its release.
❮❯
Reacting to the development, Trehan shared ZEE5’s official statement on his Instagram Stories and added a short message in Punjabi: “I like your taste sweet (God’s will sounds sweet).”
Bhana It is a Punjabi word that roughly translates to divine order or destiny – something as per the will of God. She also accompanied the message with a folded hands emoji.
Earlier on Sunday, ZEE5 confirmed that the film has been dropped in India.
“In the light of current developments,’Satluj‘Will be unavailable in India until further notice. We are committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through the due process to get the film back in front of our audiences as soon as possible. We are extremely grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support means so much to us and everyone who brings this story to life. At ZEE5, we stand strongly with ‘Satluj‘And the creative vision behind it. We believe that powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure, and leave a lasting impact,” the streaming platform said in a statement.
In the film, Diljit Dosanjh plays the role of late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994. The subject matter has made the film one of the most talked about and controversial projects in recent years, with its release also being delayed for a long time.
Diljit also reacted to the film’s removal by taking a philosophical approach by comparing the Chhaya ban to Khalra’s disappearance and murder.
In real life, Khalra disappeared in 1995 after exposing alleged illegal cremation of unidentified bodies in Punjab. In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted of her kidnapping and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. Later the Punjab and Haryana High Court increased his sentence to life imprisonment.
Produced by Honey Trehan, Abhishek Chaubey and Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of MacGuffin Pictures and RSVP, Sutlej also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljeet Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in lead roles.