Overview
- The Honey Trehan film Satluj, a biopic of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was released on ZEE5 in India on Friday and removed from the platform on Sunday, with ZEE5 saying it will remain unavailable in India until further notice.
- The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says the film was streamed without completing the required theatrical certification process and has pointed to India’s digital-media rules as the basis for action.
- Filmmakers and producers released the film uncut after a multi‑year dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification that reportedly involved demands for roughly 127 cuts and a withdrawn TIFF premiere.
- Public figures, opposition parties and activists condemned the takedown as censorship while the streamer urged viewers not to support piracy as downloaded and unofficial copies spread online.
- The episode raises practical and legal questions about platform liability, how certification and IT rules apply to OTT releases, and how digital distribution limits the effectiveness of takedowns for contested historical films.