Diljit Dosanjh Reveals He Expected 'Satluj' Removal From ZEE5

While the internet has exploded with chatter over the abrupt removal of Honey Trehan's political drama Satluj from ZEE5, its leading star Diljit Dosanjh revealed the takedown didn't come as a surprise.

The actor, who portrays human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in the film, admitted he was fully aware of the volatile stakes surrounding its release—which quietly dropped on the streaming service entirely intact on July 3, bypassing a grueling four-year censorship impasse. On July 5, the streamer issued a statement informing viewers that the film would no longer be available in India.

Just a day after, on his Instagram, Live from the US where he is currently on tour, Dosanjh said: "I had a feeling on Friday that something like this would happen. This was already on my mind. It is not something to be shocked about (the ban). I thought that it would be banned on Monday when the offices open."

The actor-singer revealed he did not have any idea the ban would take place on Sunday itself. "We did not even promote the film..If we had promoted it, it would not have lasted even two days," he further expressed.

Dosajh said he is happy that the film at least reached the audience, especially the youth. "I saw a lovely video about the film being shown at a gurudwara, possibly in Rajasthan. I am satisfied that the film has reached you. This was the only way to release the film... without saying anything because this was bound to happen."

In an interview with THR India, Trehan had detailed his frustrating battle with the censor board to get the film cleared.

"The roadblocks kept multiplying. It was an endless cycle of: 'Cut this, delete that, alter this section.' The frustrating part was that I wasn't receiving any legitimate, logical explanations (from CFBC) as to why these cuts were being demanded. The final count was upwards of 127 cuts. The last conversation we had took place around December 24, right when we were navigating the international release strategy."