Four years after Punjab '95 was stopped in its tracks over objections from the censor board, Honey Trehan was finally breathing easy on Saturday morning when we got on a call with him. His film, now streaming on ZEE5 as Satluj, had arrived without a single cut.

For the filmmaker, it marks the end of a battle that often seemed impossible to win.

In his first interview since the film's release, Trehan told mid-day that there were moments when even he wasn't convinced the film would eventually see the light of day "Even till yesterday afternoon, I wasn't sure if the film would come out," he says with a laugh. "We've reached this point so many times before that I had stopped allowing myself to believe it. I kept telling myself, 'Let it go, let it go.' Then suddenly, it was just there."

The release, he says, belongs as much to the family of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra as it does to the makers. "I spoke to them immediately. They are very, very happy. It was important because we didn't get the title Punjab '95. Naturally, people assumed the film must have been released with cuts. Paramjit aunty herself clarified that this is the same film. Hundreds of people who had watched the earlier version are now saying Satluj is exactly the same film."

For Trehan, that validation mattered more than anything else. "I'm getting messages from IPS officers in Punjab asking, 'The film is without cuts, right?' They are excited to finally watch it. That means a lot."

The director admits he was initially worried that the four-year delay would burden the film with impossible expectations. "I actually felt the opposite happened. These three years became three years of publicity. Punjab '95 had become much bigger than the film itself. My only anxiety before release was whether I could live up to what people had built in their minds. But the response has been overwhelming. Every reaction has become memorable."

Trehan credits producer Ronnie Screwvala, Diljit Dosanjh and ZEE5 for refusing to compromise. "The way Ronnie sir and Diljit stood by me and stood by the film... I can't thank them enough. And what courage ZEE has shown. Hats off to them. They simply dropped the trailer, posters and the film together. There was no release date, no countdown, nothing. It was just — streaming now. I've never seen anything like that."

Throughout the film's uncertain journey, Dosanjh remained firmly behind the project, says Trehan. Recalling how the actor came on board, he says their relationship dates back to Udta Punjab. "Even before I told him I wanted to make a film on Jaswant Singh Khalra, he immediately said, 'There's only one story from Punjab worth making if it isn't about 1984'. I showed him my research book. He looked at Mr Khalra's photograph, picked up the book, placed it on his forehead and simply said, 'Waheguru ji... tell me when and where to come. You'll find me there'."

That commitment, Trehan says, never wavered. "There were days when he reported at six in the morning and I couldn't take his first shot until four in the evening because schedules had gone haywire. I kept apologizing. Every single time he would tell me, 'Paaji, no problem. Whatever you're doing, you're doing for the film. I'm here to support the film.'"

The filmmaker also recounts how Dosanjh recently waited nearly an hour for an Instagram Live session promoting the film despite repeated technical glitches. "He waited for almost 50 minutes. We couldn't connect because of technical issues. Finally, someone got us connected. It wasn't about publicity. Somewhere, both of us felt we would connect. That's the kind of person he is."

Even today, Trehan says he doesn't know who exactly objected to Punjab '95. "If somebody asks me who had a problem with the film, I genuinely don't know. I don't have a face. I don't have a name. Everything came through third persons or lawyers."

He reveals that communication from the censor board effectively stopped earlier this year, forcing the makers to find another route. "There came a point when there was simply no communication anymore. After everything we'd gone through, there was nothing left to discuss. That's when ZEE stepped in and made this release possible."

Yet, despite the years of uncertainty, he refuses to hold grudges. "I've never been bitter. Sometimes you feel hurt emotionally because you're not getting answers. But I also remind myself that I'm talking about one film. The people running the country have much bigger responsibilities. Sometimes there must have been helplessness. I respect the people and the positions they hold."

He points out that every legal body and community organization that watched the film responded positively. "The SGPC watched the film. The Akal Takht committee watched the film. Everywhere I went, the response was overwhelming. Today the film is available across 196 countries on ZEE5 and all I'm receiving is love. So where exactly was the problem?"

Trehan also responded to Diljit Dosanjh's recent assertion that he is "not political, but an artiste". Without commenting on the actor's statement, the director says art inevitably exists alongside politics. "Art can be different from the politics of the time you're living in. Otherwise your art cannot be truthful. Everything today becomes political."

He insists Satluj was never designed to make a political argument. "We're only talking about human rights. We're not commenting on the politics of that period. We're talking about what happens when extraordinary powers are placed in the hands of a few people. That's a human issue, not a political one."

Trehan believes that is why audiences across generations are responding to the film. "Someone messaged me saying this film doesn't reopen wounds; it heals them. That stayed with me. People feel somebody has finally told their story. That's probably the greatest compliment I've received."

At the time of going to press, ‘Satluj’ had been made unavailable on ZEE5 in India.

Statement by Zee5 “The response to ‘Satluj’ since its release has been truly overwhelming. We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a great deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life. 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. 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. Our commitment to creators and to stories told with conviction, artistic integrity and purpose remains unwavering.”

After years of delays and censorship-related hurdles, Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Punjab '95 has finally been released under a new title. The film, now called Satluj, quietly dropped on OTT on Friday. Based on the life and death of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Honey Trehan directorial was originally slated for release last year but remained stuck amid certification issues.

During an Instagram Live session on Friday, Diljit clarified that while the title has changed, the film itself remains untouched. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the original title for certain reasons... But there are absolutely no cuts in the film. 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 said.

Trehan echoed the sentiment, revealing that Khalra’s wife, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, had also confirmed that the released version remains unchanged. “Paramjit aunty also shared a post about the film and said this is the very same version she had watched earlier. Only the title has changed,” he said.

Trehan added, “Everything I objected to, every word I refused to cut or mute, is still there in the film.”

The film also stars Arjun Rampal, Surinder Vicky, Varun Badola and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.

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.