DSGMC announced that despite the ban and all the controversy surrounding ‘Satluj’, they will be holding screenings and seminars to support the film and its official release. (Instagram?)
Ever since Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ was released on OTT and removed within 48 hours, there has been a lot of discussion and controversy surrounding the issue. With the CBFC announcing that the film was released uncut on the platform without completing the certification process, there was a lot of backlash online over the delay.
As per the latest updates about the film, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has announced that it will go ahead with the release of ‘Satluj’ despite the ongoing ‘ban’ on OTT.
Delhi Sikhs Gurdwara Management Committee To hold a screening of the film “Satluj”.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, also known as DSGMC, objected to the ban on the film and instead announced that it would hold public screenings and seminars of “Satluj” soon, ANI reported.DSGMC chief Harmeet Singh Kalka issued a statement on the same, clarifying that the film revolves around activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and his efforts to investigate and expose alleged human rights violations and illegal cremations in Punjab that took place in 1995, and that banning the film is not correct.His statement further read: “Since this film is a biographical portrayal of Jaswant Singh Khalra, it depicts how a social activist opened people’s eyes to the truth.
Revealing evidence of 25,000 bodies being cremated as “unclaimed”, he raised the issue not only within the country but also internationally, highlighting the dire situation in Punjab. Suppressing this story, and preventing the events of that dark era from reaching the public, is very wrong, and has sparked enormous outrage throughout the Sikh community.
“He confirmed that the committee will hold screenings of the film, and will also hold seminars to explain more details about Khalra’s life in various educational institutions.
“We have asked all gurdwara committee members to download the film and screen it in their areas to ensure it reaches the audience. Moreover, we will soon hold a meeting with the heads of our schools and colleges,” he added.
Seminars on Jaswant Singh Khalra will be organized in every college to discuss his life and legacy. We want people to realize the impact one social activist can have on a community.
If one individual can achieve so much, there is no reason why we can’t all work together to do the same.
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In 2022, Honey Trehan completed the “Satluj” project and applied for certification from CBFC; However, the process was delayed for nearly 4 years. Now, after a lot of struggle, the uncut version has been released on ZEE5. The theatrical release of the film was banned because more than 120 cuts were proposed for the final film, which neither the director nor Diljit Dosanjh wanted.Two days after being available for streaming, the film was removed from the platform. The streaming site also issued a statement on the matter, saying that they are grateful for the support that ‘Satluj’ has received and that they are doing everything in their power to bring it back on the platform.Public outrage ensued, with many people sharing illegal download links for the film on social media platforms.
