The feature film "Satluj," starring Diljit Dosanjh and Arjun Rampal, was removed from the ZEE5 streaming platform after appearing for only a couple of days [2].

The film's disappearance highlights the ongoing tension between artistic expression and state censorship in India. By dramatizing the violence of the 1990s Punjab insurgency, the project tackles a sensitive period of history that continues to provoke institutional resistance.

Originally titled "Punjab 95," the movie is inspired by the life of human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra [1]. Director Honey Trehan said he sought to expose the dark realities and human-rights abuses that occurred during the conflict in Punjab [1]. The production focused on honoring the legacy of Khalra, who worked to uncover the truth about disappeared persons.

The path to release was marked by significant conflict with the Central Board of Film Certification. The CBFC demanded cuts to more than 120 scenes before the film could be cleared [2]. This extensive demand for deletions suggests a systemic effort to sanitize the portrayal of state violence during the insurgency era.

Despite the eventual upload to ZEE5, the content remained available to the public for a very short window [2]. Reviewers Maruthi Acharya and Sanjay Ponnappa said the film was unwavering and uncomfortable, noting its ability to tear the heart apart [2, 3].

The film's brief availability and subsequent removal leave the work in a state of digital limbo. It remains a rare cinematic attempt to document the specific atrocities of the 1990s, though its accessibility remains restricted by regulatory pressures [1, 2].

“The CBFC demanded cuts to over 120 scenes”

The removal of 'Satluj' after a brief release suggests that streaming platforms may be susceptible to the same censorship pressures as traditional theatrical releases. The demand for more than 100 cuts indicates that the state views the dramatization of the 1990s Punjab insurgency as a threat to the official narrative, potentially limiting the public's ability to engage with historical human-rights grievances through art.