‘Waheguru ji… tell me when and where to come, you’ll find me there’: Honey Trehan reveals how Diljit Dosanjh instantly agreed to star in ‘Satluj’ amid OTT removal row | Hindi Movie News
Actor Diljit Dosanjh instantly accepted Satluj after reading the first draft of the script, director Honey Trehan has revealed. In a recent interview, Trehan said Dosanjh, who plays human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in the film, stood by the project and its story from the very beginning. The remark has resurfaced now that Satluj has been pulled from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its surprise release.
Honey Trehan recalls Diljit Dosanjh’s instant reaction to the script
In a conversation with Mid Day, Trehan recounted how Dosanjh responded strongly to the subject even before he was formally approached about the film. Speaking to Mid-Day, the director said:“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.'”
Diljit Dosanjh stayed patient through difficult shooting days
Trehan also spoke about Dosanjh’s conduct on set, particularly during days marked by delays and scheduling issues. He told Mid-Day:“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 apologising. 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.'”Dosanjh has continued to actively speak about the film, its real-life subject, and what the story represents, even as the controversy around its release has unfolded.
Why was Satluj pulled down from OTT?
On Tuesday, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement to news agency ANI that Satluj did not adhere to the IT Rules, 2021, and was therefore asked to be pulled down from ZEE5. Notably, a film or show does not require a censor board certificate for release on an OTT platform in India; however, the ministry expects self-regulation and compliance with the regulations laid out under the IT Rules, 2021.The film also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in key roles, and had a three-year-long journey before finally making it to the platform.
More about ‘Satluj’
‘Satluj’ was earlier titled ‘Panjab ’95’ and follows the real-life story of Jaswant Singh Khalra. The narrative is set during the 1980s and 1990s, a turbulent period in Punjab’s history marked by violent militancy, calls for a separate state (Khalistan), and heavy-handed state counter-insurgency operations. Khalra pioneered an independent investigation that uncovered the illegal abduction and secret cremation of thousands of “unidentified” youths by local police, carried out without informing their families. In 1995, shortly after taking his documented evidence to the international stage, Khalra himself was abducted and murdered.
