Overview
- ZEE5 quietly released the uncut film Satluj on July 3 and removed it from its India catalogue on July 5, saying the title will remain unavailable in India until further notice while it explores due process to restore access.
- The streamer said it stands by the film and praised viewer response, but gave no detailed reason for the removal and continued to stream Satluj on ZEE5 Global for international audiences.
- Actor Diljit Dosanjh warned the release might be short-lived and urged fans to download the film before it vanished, and copies began circulating online after the takedown prompting ZEE5 to ask viewers not to support piracy.
- Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale wrote to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry alleging a ministry order forced the removal, while filmmakers point to years of certification fights with the CBFC that reportedly sought about 127 cuts.
- Satluj dramatizes the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigations into alleged enforced disappearances in 1980s–90s Punjab led to later convictions of police officers, and the episode is renewing public debate over how India handles contested historical memory, regulation and platform accountability.