Diljit Dosanjh has controversially urged fans to circulate pirated copies of his film Satluj after it was pulled from the Z5 platform in India.
Key Points
- Diljit Dosanjh’s film Satluj was removed from the Z5 platform in India shortly after its release.
- Dosanjh encouraged fans to share pirated copies of Satluj, stating the work belongs to the people.
- While Dosanjh advocated file-sharing for Satluj due to censorship, such actions with copyrighted content are generally considered digital piracy.
The Diljit Dosanjh starrer Satluj was pulled from the Z5 platform in India shortly after its release over the weekend.
Dosanjh has now asked fans, who have already downloaded the movie, to circulate and share pirated copies, stating the work belongs to the people and cannot be destroyed.
While the actor explicitly encouraged the file-sharing of Satluj to increase its reach amid censorship, doing the same with copyrighted films, music, or leaked content is generally considered digital piracy.
Notable Films Facing Bans and Censorship in India
Several other notable films have faced bans or severe censorship in India.
Leslee Udwin’s 2015 documentary India’s Daughter, about the 2012 Delhi gang rape was banned by the government to prevent law-and-order issues and protect the victim’s identity.
Gulzar’s political drama Aandhi was temporarily banned upon release in 1975, during the Emergency, by Indira Gandhi’s government, as it was believed to be loosely based on the then prime minister’s life.
Rahul Dholakia’s Parzania (2005) and Nandita Das’ Firaaq (2008) are based on the 2002 Gujarat riots. While technically certified for release, they faced severe state-level pushback, resulting in unofficial bans and theatre boycotts in Gujarat.
Anurag Kashyap’s directorial debut Paanch was never released in India due to the Censor Board’s objections to explicit depictions of sex and drugs.
Mira Nair’s erotic romance Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) was banned in India due to its explicit and controversial nature.
Amrit Nahata’s political satire, Kissa Kursi Ka (1970) was banned during the Emergency due to its mockery of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen (1994), a biopic on the dacoit Phoolan Devi, faced a ban over explicit language, nudity, and raw violence before undergoing revisions.
Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1996) was the first mainstream Bollywood movie to show a homosexual relationship, leading to protests and cinema hall vandalism.
Sridhar Rangayan’s pioneering comedy focused on transgender identities The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina, 2003), was banned for being ‘vulgar and offensive’.
Jagdish A Sharma’s Deshdrohi (2008) was banned in Maharashtra for allegedly inciting communal tensions and targeting non-Maharashtrians.
Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Mohalla Assi (2015) sat on the shelf for years and its release was stayed by a Delhi court for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. It eventually released with an ‘A’ certificate after court interventions.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
