After ZEE5 pulled Honey Trehan’s biographical drama Satluj just 48 hours after release, gurudwaras across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Jammu began organizing community screenings. The film on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, played by Diljit Dosanjh, is being shown in auditoriums and gurdwara halls as Sikh bodies insist the story must reach audiences despite the OTT ban.
On July 5, just 48 hours after its release, ZEE5 issued a statement informing viewers that filmmaker Honey Trehan's biographical drama Satluj would no longer be available in India. The decision triggered an emotional outcry across the country, particularly in Punjab, where audiences deeply resonated with the story.
In an attempt to still make the story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, played immaculately by Diljit Dosanjh, reach a wider audience, gurudwaras across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Jammu have reportedly gone to great lengths to ensure the film gets screened.
According to Mid-Day, insiders from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) revealed that gurdwara committees across India have organised community screenings of the film.
Harmeet Singh Kalka, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) also expressed his support for the screening initiative and voiced his thoughts on ban, demanding the OTT platform to retrieve the film.
According to reports, Satluj will be screened at four gurdwaras between July 10 and 13 in Jammu. A poster circulating online has also invited the public to a screening at the Baba Fateh Singh Auditorium at Chandi Ki Taksal Gurudwara in Jaipur on July 11.
A source from SGPC told Mid-Day that, "The community doesn't want this story to disappear simply because the film is unavailable online. If people cannot watch it on OTT, gurudwaras are opening their doors. Jaswant Singh Khalra's story deserves to be seen."
The ban on the film has certainly not sopped it from gaining momentum online. It has drawn major attention from members of the film community, including prominent figures like filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who recently voiced his support for the film, saying: "The thing about banning something is that the more you ban something, the more people want to watch it. I was not even planning to watch this film, but now I will have to watch it to understand why it got banned."