Streaming platform Zee5 removed the biographical film "Satluj" from its platform in India on Sunday, July 5, 2026, just two days after its digital debut.
The film, starring actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh and Arjun Rampal, focuses on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
It skipped a theatrical release and moved directly to the OTT platform after censorship officials demanded 120 cuts, originally under the title "Punjab 95."
The removal prompted an immediate response from Dosanjh on social media. The 42-year-old actor shared a scene from the movie with a caption written in Punjabi.
"I challenge the darkness," said Diljit Dosanjh via his Instagram post, adding that "Satluj is what happened to Khalra Saab."
Zee5 Statement and Actor's Reaction
The streaming platform addressed the sudden unavailability of the movie through an official statement, though they did not provide a specific reason for why the title was restricted within India.
"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," stated Zee5 in an official note, emphasizing that "Our commitment to creators and to stories told with conviction, artistic integrity and purpose remains unwavering."
The actor recently detailed the demanding nature of the biographical project during a media interview with Variety India, where he discussed the profound impact the role had on his personal well-being.
"It's honestly one of the hardest films I have ever made in my career. Emotionally and physically, it extracted everything out of all of us.
There were the long days, difficult conditions and intense scenes. But ultimately, it was the nature of the subject matter which really clung on to me.
I think this is perhaps the first film in my career which required me to recuperate after the shoot," stated Diljit Dosanjh to Variety India.
The actor explained that he typically transitions to new projects immediately without scheduling downtime between film shoots.
"Once a film is wrapped, I quickly move on as I don't enjoy taking a break.
However, after this film, I had to take a week off to process everything that I went through portraying Jaswant Singh Khalra.
The scenes, the emotions, and the aspects of the character lingered on, so it took time for me to pull away from that," added Diljit Dosanjh.
Director Honey Trehan and the producers have stated that the biographical narrative is grounded entirely in documented historical events.
The ongoing censorship challenges previously caused the production team to withdraw the film from its scheduled international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film also features performances by Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.
