Paramjit Kaur Khalra with her late husband’s portrait

On October 3, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, the widow of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, issued a statement condemning the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) demand of nearly 120 cuts in Punjab ’95. Lending her support to Honey Trehan’s directorial venture that “upheld the legacy of Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra,” she appealed to the Prasoon Joshi-led body to “not attempt to change proven facts depicted in the film”.

This came on the heels of mid-day breaking the story of how the CBFC has doled out more than 100 changes in Khalra’s biopic, which include renaming the protagonist and the film, dropping references to Tarn Taran and Punjab, and removing religious elements like the Gurbani (Cut, cut till you edit history? Sep 25).

mid-day contacted Paramjit, who expressed her disappointment that Punjab ’95—a biopic that sheds light on Khalra’s role in investigating the disappearance and killings of Sikh youths during the Punjab insurgency between 1984 and 1994—has been stuck with the censor board since December 2022. “I feel this is not a critical issue; it is being made one on purpose,” she said, speaking to us from the US. 

“There is no problem because the film is based on facts, and everything is in the public domain. The court’s hearing and decision were based on those facts. The film we have seen is the one we want people to see. If the film is not shown, it could cause public outrage. However, if the right version is released, it will benefit both the public and the governments creating this environment. This film is about standing by the truth and what is right. What happened in this story is something no one will dare to repeat in the future. Perhaps it will expose some people. This is the first time the public will see how Mr Khalra was captured and killed. The more you try to hide the truth, the more it will come out. So, this will benefit no one. Punjab understands Mr Khalra’s point, and the leaders do too. Hiding the truth is a systemic policy, but it’s just a Google search away.”

Punjab ’95 sees Diljit Dosanjh step into the shoes of Khalra, who had disappeared in September 1995. Ten years later, six Punjab police officials were convicted for his murder. Trehan’s film not only examines the dark chapter of Punjab, but also raises questions about the activist’s murder.

Khalra’s daughter Navkiran, who resides in the US, said that they were initially reluctant about a movie as they knew it would face severe opposition. “Anyone who is active in the civil rights and human rights struggle doesn’t have any faith that the Indian government or the higher-ups will allow the facts to be shown. We had this skepticism,” she recalled. It was Trehan’s methodical approach and determination that made her believe that her activist-father’s story would reach the audience.

“We watched the movie last year. He stayed true, word for word, to what he had committed to in the script. It was exciting that it was going to the Toronto International Film Festival [in 2023]. But all of a sudden, the censor board and the Bombay High Court case came in, and the movie had to be removed from the film festival. That was [heartbreaking]. Recently, the CBFC came back with 120 cuts and [the instruction of] changing the name. Then, it’s no more a biopic, right? It’s complete slaughter. Punjab is not allowed to show its version of the history that happened and that has been proven in the Supreme Court. Our lawyer, Mr Bains, gave Honey all the facts and court documents. Honey [studied] the news archives. All the incidents depicted in this movie are true. The only fictionalized part is the way of storytelling.”

Navkiran is clear that the family won’t accept the CBFC-recommended changes. “We want the film that was shown to us and the one that we agreed with Honey, to be shown to the public. YouTube already has these videos, documents and documentaries by other human rights activists. It’s also a bad precedent in terms of art, where [filmmakers] have to comply with the government that’s in power. If India is trying to become a superpower, it should set themselves against the US standards. We have seen movies made on Iraq after the Iraq war; they were critical of the US government.”

Director Trehan and producer Ronnie Screwvala were to meet the CBFC last month and discuss their reservations against the nearly 120 changes. But the CBFC has yet to meet the makers. A source revealed, “There is radio silence on the film. We have heard that a new Revising Officer will be assigned soon, but there is no official intimation.”

Trehan and Screwvala are said to be frustrated over the delay in receiving certification as they had hoped to release the film this year. They have a pending deal with an OTT platform after it releases theatrically.