Streaming platform ZEE5 has removed the biographical film Satluj from its Indian catalog, just under 48 hours after its uncut global release on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
The film, starring Diljit Dosanjh, chronicles the life of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
Khalra investigated alleged illegal cremations of roughly 25,000 unidentified bodies and enforced disappearances during the militancy years in Punjab before disappearing in 1995 while in police custody.
Directed by Honey Trehan and produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP and MacGuffin Pictures, the project faced a three-year certification dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after its initial submission in 2022.
The board demanded 127 cuts and multiple title adjustments, shifting from Ghallughara to Punjab '95, and finally to Satluj, before ZEE5 Global agreed to stream the uncut version.
ZEE5 confirmed the removal via an official statement on its Instagram account. "The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming," the statement read.
"We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film."
The company reiterated its support for the creative vision despite the restriction. "At Zee5, we stand firmly by Satluj and the creative vision behind it.
We believe powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact. We remain committed to championing authentic and meaningful narratives," the statement continued.
No specific reasons were provided for the sudden unavailability. "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," the statement concluded.
Lead actor Diljit Dosanjh addressed the uncut release and title changes during a live broadcast prior to the removal.
"Our film has finally been released on Zee5.
Unfortunately, we couldn't keep the original title Punjab 95 for certain reasons so it is now called Satluj.
But there are absolutely no cuts in the film," he said.
Dosanjh added, "The version I watched in theatres two years ago is exactly the same one I watched at home last week.
If even a single cut had been made I would not have promoted the film."
He also noted the emotional weight of portraying Khalra.
"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."
The domestic removal has sparked public comparisons to other politically sensitive films still available on ZEE5, such as The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story, The Bengal Files, and The Kerala Story 2.
