The way Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj is being screened across Punjab, as well as in parts of Delhi and Jammu, raises a serious question about whether it has really been banned. The movie is being screened publicly outside gurdwaras and is drawing full houses. Nowhere has its public screening been stopped by the authorities, neither in Punjab nor elsewhere.
There does not appear to be any official or documented order banning the movie. The timing of these screenings also raises serious questions.
Ironically, the controversy came as a blessing in disguise for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was at the time locked in a confrontation with the Akal Takht. That issue quickly receded into the background.
The movie was produced a few years ago under a different title Punjab ’95. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had reportedly recommended over 100 cuts before clearing it. It remains unclear how ZEE5, an OTT platform, streamed the movie for two days without such clearance. Until it was withdrawn, Satluj was available like any other film on the platform. Given its theme and Diljit Dosanjh’s portrayal of the protagonist, it received a good response from viewers. By all standards, its initial release was fairly normal.
ZEE5 later withdrew the movie, saying that it would not be available in India until further notice. There was no visible public opposition to the movie, nor was there any formal objection from the government. Yet, the withdrawal from the OTT platform itself generated greater public interest. Extensive media coverage, prime-time television debates and widespread discussion on social media further amplified curiosity about the film. Digital copies of the movie soon began circulating through messaging apps across the world. The movie quickly became a talking point. Otherwise, it may have passed like any other movie without drawing such widespread attention.
Given its sensitive subject, highlighting the alleged excesses and high-handedness of the police in dealing with terrorism, the movie has completely divided public opinion. One section has praised it, while another section of Punjabis has blamed it for presenting a biased and one-sided narrative. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has demanded that ban on the film to be withdrawn, although there is no ban officially on record.
The movie continues to be screened openly outside gurdwaras across Punjab, Delhi and Jammu, drawing significant public response.
The movie undoubtedly presents only one side of the story, glorifying those who indulged in violence while maligning leaders like former Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in a suicide bombing, and former Punjab Police chief KPS Gill, who is widely credited with ending militancy in Punjab. Both Beant Singh and Gill are being projected as villains in the movie.
Reports from villages where the movie is being screened suggest that audiences cheer during the scene depicting Beant Singh’s assassination. There is already a section of society that believes Beant Singh and KPS Gill relied excessively on force to deal with militants. People like jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and Faridkot MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa represent that section of people. A movie like Satluj comes in handy in such circumstances, as it can become a means of reinforcing emotions among young people who are repeatedly exposed to a narrative of persecution. The movie ‘Satluj’ further adds to that complex.
Interestingly, the Congress has maintained complete silence over the film, even though its narrative primarily concerns the Congress government led by Beant Singh, which is primarily credited with finishing militancy in Punjab by giving then DGP KPS Gill a free hand.
At a time when the Congress is being seen as a strong alternative to both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal, the screening of the movie could not have come at a more politically significant moment for the party (Congress). The party had secured significant electoral victories in 2002 and 2017, after Punjab had largely moved beyond the terror and traumas of the 1980s and 1990s.
Except for Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, the grandson of the late Beant Singh, no political leader has taken a clear and unambiguous stand on Satluj movie. The AAP and the Akalis have both praised the film. The BJP, not surprisingly, has chosen to remain “politically correct” by making vague and ambiguous statements. The Congress, meanwhile, has maintained complete silence when it should have spoken out.
The extensive public screening of Satluj and the response it has received create the impression that the Punjab Police were responsible for atrocities against innocent people, while those such as Jaswant Singh Khalra, who fought for justice, were intimidated and ultimately killed.
The facts, however, are quite different. While police action may at times have been brutal, it came in response to the wanton killings of innocent people. Let us not forget that the period witnessed the assassination of a sitting Prime Minister, a sitting Chief Minister and a former Chief of Army Staff, the killing of passengers dragged out of buses and trains, the mid-air bombing of an aircraft that claimed about 400 innocent lives, and much more. As long as these events are pushed into the background and movies like Satluj are promoted, history itself risks being distorted and subverted.
Also read: ‘Satluj’ reinforces a persecution complex that refuses to go
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