Satluj, director Honey Trehan’s drama inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, began streaming worldwide on ZEE5 Global on July 3 in full and unabridged form, three years after the film first ran into trouble with Indian censors.
Produced by RSVP and MacGuffin Pictures, the social drama stars Diljit Dosanjh along with Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljeet Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Olyan. It traces Khalra’s decades-long quest to seek justice for the more than 25,000 people missing during the insurgency-era crackdown in Punjab, as well as his personal cost in fighting a system that seeks to hide the truth.
On the way to release, the project had three names. The film was originally titled Gallugara, a historical term referring to the massacres of Sikhs in 1746, 1762 and 1984. When RSVP applied for certification to the Central Board of Film Certification of India in late 2022, the six-month process ended with the film cleared for 21 cuts and a mandatory title change to Punjab ’95. RSVP appealed the decision in the Bombay High Court. Around the same time, the film was pulled from its scheduled gala premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival; source said Diversity at a time when political factors were involved in this decision.
“We were unable to get the previous title of the film. It is now called ‘Satluj,'” Trehan said in a statement to Diversity. “This is the complete film, without any cuts or compromises, in its original form as we always intended. This would not have been possible without Diljit Paji and our producers and their will to uphold its integrity. As Diljit Paji and I have said earlier, we do not approve of the compromised version of the film.”
Harish Goyal, Regional Head, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. in the Americas, added: “For South Asian audiences across North America, cinema remains an important connection to the history, realities and voices of the subcontinent. With Diljit Dosanjh bringing remarkable integrity and conviction to this deeply meaningful role, we believe ‘Satluj’ will resonate strongly with audiences here.”
Kaveri Das, Head of Hindi Content at ZEE5 said, “This is a film about courage, resilience and the fight for justice and it deserves a platform that will stand behind it with conviction.”
Producer Ronnie Screwvala added, “Honey’s passion and conviction made this journey truly special and we knew from the beginning that there was no one better than Diljit to bring this character to life with the honesty and depth it deserves.”
Dosanjh, who plays Khalra, said, “The martyrdom of Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra ji and his contribution to humanity were the main reasons why I decided to take part in this film. I felt a strong sense of responsibility towards the film and strived to portray such an inspiring character truthfully, honestly and with utmost respect.”
Trehan previously directed the 2020 Netflix thriller Raat Akeli Hai and its sequel Raat Akeli Hai: Banal Murders (2025). Suvinder Vicky’s credits include the Netflix series Korra, as well as the Cannes and Venice series The Fourth Direction and Milestone, respectively.