Anurag Kashyap urges people to watch Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj 'even if pirated'

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap reacted to the removal of Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj from ZEE5. The filmmaker urged people to watch the film, even if they had to rely on pirated copies.

In Short

• Anurag Kashyap urged people to watch banned film Satluj, even via piracy
• Satluj focusses on human rights abuses during Punjab militancy in 1980s-90s
• The film removed from ZEE5 within 48 hours of release in India

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj, which was taken down from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its release in India. Reacting to the development, Kashyap urged people to watch the film, even if it meant relying on pirated copies, and later questioned why it had been removed from the streaming platform.

Kashyap first reposted a message on his Instagram Story that read, “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 (sic)."

He later shared another Instagram Story promoting Satluj and urged the public to watch the film, even if it meant relying on pirated copies.

"Plz sab log dekho, pirate karo par dekho (sic)," the filmmaker wrote.

Satluj, based on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, focusses on the disappearance and illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies during Punjab's militancy era in the 1980s and 1990s.

The film has been at the centre of controversy since its certification process began. Producer RSVP submitted it to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in late 2022. Nearly six months later, the board reportedly cleared the film with 21 cuts and asked the makers to change its title from Ghallughara to Punjab '95.

The production house challenged the decision in the Bombay High Court. Around the same time, the film's scheduled gala premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival was also cancelled.

Following the court proceedings, the film was referred to the CBFC's revising committee, which reportedly increased the number of suggested cuts from 21 to 127. The makers also alleged they were asked to change the name of the film's protagonist, Jaswant Singh Khalra. After refusing to accept the changes, the film remained unreleased in India for years.

Satluj eventually premiered on ZEE5 on July 3 in its uncut version. However, it was removed from the platform within 48 hours.

The Centre subsequently directed ZEE5 to remove the film, citing security concerns under the Information Technology (IT) Rules. The move drew objections from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and several Punjab-based political parties. Diljit Dosanjh also reacted to the development, saying the takedown was "bound to happen."

In a statement shared on Instagram, ZEE5 said, "In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity (sic)."

Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj stars Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.

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