Satluj Writer: ‘If A Region Has A Violent History, Will We Bury That?’

‘…Or will we take a positive approach and learn from those mistakes so that it is not repeated in future?’

Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj has found itself at the centre of controversy after it was taken down from Z5 barely two days after its release on the OTT platform. Based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, the film has received rave reviews.

While Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema questioned the removal of the film, an official from the Union ministry of information and broadcasting said the film was released without the required certification.

Completed nearly three years ago, Satluj was originally intended for a theatrical release but remained stalled after facing objections during the certification process. According to the filmmakers, the Central Board of Film Certification initially sought a handful of edits before eventually demanding 127 cuts, something the makers say would have stripped the film of its core narrative.

The film chronicles the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed alleged illegal disappearances and killings during Punjab’s militancy years before he was abducted and murdered. The makers maintain that the film is not an attack on the Punjab police as an institution, but a story about one man’s courage in seeking justice and the eventual triumph of the rule of law.

Its removal from Z5 has reignited the debate over censorship, artistic freedom and whether cinema should revisit difficult chapters of history.

While some fear such stories may reopen old wounds, the writer of the movie, Niren Bhatt tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff that acknowledging history is essential to ensuring its mistakes are not repeated.

“You must understand the point of view of any sensitive movie, whether it deserves the right to exist or not.”

Were you surprised when Satluj was dropped from the Z5 platform?

We are all surprised and equally clueless as to why the movie was withdrawn from the OTT platform.

Who objected? The ministry of information and broadcasting or someone from the CBFC? We have no idea.

And who has a problem regarding which part of the movie?

There are just rumours floating around.

Today, the only relief we got is that there is a committee that has been formed which will review the film. I feel whoever watches this movie will be moved by it.

Those who have watched it, can you tell me what was wrong in this movie that it did not get a censor certificate for three years?

I think the committee that is going to watch will also see that this is a human story of great courage. It is a story of love and peace because eventually peace was restored in that region.

‘It is a story of peace and humanity’

Is it true that the censors wanted 127 cuts?

The Censor Board started the conversation with us to first cut the film with 15 cuts. Then, they increased to 25, 50, 75 and finally told us that we will have to make 127 cuts in the movie only then can we get permission to release it.

After that, Director Honey Trehan and lead actor Diljit Dosanjh said there would be no film left. So it was decided not to release the movie with 127 cuts in theatres.

Why is it important for every Indian to watch Satluj?

It is the story of a martyr and people don’t know about him. This was a man from the middle class, a bank employee, a family man with a wife and two small children at home. He started fighting for the cause of human rights and lost his life because of it.

He knew his life was in danger but he kept fighting.

It is a story of peace and humanity.

Most people in Punjab are familiar with the story but not outside Punjab. Therefore, this film is a must watch for those who don’t know the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra.

Is it true that the Punjab police hs been depicted badly in the film?

No, that is not true. There are only a few policemen, who were later punished by the Supreme Court. We are making this point repetitively in the movie.

At the end of the film, the good policemen prevail and get justice for Jaswant Singh’s family.

The judiciary wins, the good policemen win.

This is a well-documented fact and the policemen involved in Jaswant Singh’s murder were sentenced to life imprisonment.

‘We had 1,700 pages of newspaper clippings, official statements, testimonies and legal documents’

There is a fear that the film may revive bad memories of the state when many people were killed by separatists.

If a region has a violent history, will we bury that or will we take a positive approach and learn from those mistakes so that it is not repeated in future?

Your question is rhetorical because if that is the case then even films depicting Partition’s trauma must not be released as it speaks of the painful past and communal riots in 1947.

You must understand the point of view of any sensitive movie, whether it deserves the right to exist or not.

You have seen movies like Schindler’s List, which depicts the Holocaust. It won so many Oscars. The recent film The Voice of Hind Rajab is the real story of a Palestinian child’s suffering. All these films are being shown across the world.

When Satluj was offered to you, what did you face as a writer?

It was a personal story for Honey Trehan. He has seen some of the incidents that happened in the film, as he grew up in Punjab.

I am not from Punjab, so I had an outsider view.

I went to Punjab and met people. I also met the family of Jaswant Singh Khalra.

I met Supreme Court Senior Advocate R S Bais, who fought Khalra’s case and got justice for him. Apart from that, we had a huge research of 1,700 pages of newspaper clippings, official statements, testimonies and legal documents.

As a writer, did you move out of your comfort zone while writing this film?

I always try to write something that is challenging to me. Even horror and comedy are challenging to write. I jump into a new genre of movies each time. I have written a Netflix show on a corporate drama. I write whatever is challenging to me.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff