“Satluj”: Anurag Basu compares Honey Trehan’s plight to Iranian director Jaafar Panahi: “I never thought that a day would come…”

Diljit Dosanjh’s release has created a huge buzz in Bollywood. From being released on OTT platforms with little or no promotions, to being removed within two days of its release, the film sparked a huge online debate among viewers as to why it was taken down again.

Now, celebrities are also weighing in on the issue, including Anurag Basu as well. In a post on social media, he called for the film to be removed from the streaming platform, and compared the situation to another international filmmaker who faced the same fate.

Anurag Basso He talks about it Trihan honey‘s’Satluj” are removed

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Basu shared his own thoughts on ‘Satluj’ and joined the ongoing debate over the film’s release, and its removal from streaming platforms.He compared Dosanjh’s film to that of Jaafar Panahi, an Iranian director who faced a similar fate in his homeland. “#Satluj I never thought that a day would come when Honey Trehan would face what Jaafar Panahi faced in Iran,” he wrote. He compared Honey Trehan’s plight to that of Panahi, a well-known director in Iran, who was out of the country promoting the film “It Was Just an Accident” when he was served a legal notice by authorities in Tehran.

According to the BBC, he was sentenced to one year in prison, as well as a two-year travel ban and probation.

‘Satluj’ removed from OTT, fans are asking to share illegal links

Just two days after its release, ‘Satluj’ follows the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra as he investigates illegal cremations and their corrupt connections in Punjab during the 1990s. The film was originally titled ‘Punjab 95’ and was actually made about 3-4 years ago. However, the film faced a lot of trouble upon its release.The film was released on ZEE5 just 2-3 days ago, however, the platform recently removed the entire project from its platform and issued an official notification in this regard. Their statement, which was uploaded on various social media channels, read: “The response to ‘Satluj’ since its release has been truly overwhelming. We are extremely grateful to every viewer who has chosen to subscribe, watch and support the film. Your love and support has meant so much to us and everyone who brought this story to life.”

“They also added, “At ZEE5, we stand strongly by Satluj and the creative vision behind her. We believe that powerful storytelling has the power to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact. We remain committed to supporting authentic and meaningful narratives.” However, the team also confirmed that the film will not be available for streaming in India until ‘further notice’.“Satluj” was also supposed to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2023, a year after it was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification; However, when Indian authorities raised concerns at the time, the premiere was eventually cancelled.