Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj No Longer Available On ZEE5 Outside India

The controversy around Satluj is no longer limited to India. Days after the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer was removed from ZEE5 India, the film has now also disappeared from the platform’s international library, triggering a fresh wave of discussion among viewers overseas.

The film, earlier titled Punjab 95, had premiered on ZEE5 last Friday after nearly four years of delays linked to censorship and certification issues. It was pulled down in India within 48 hours on government directions, but continued to remain available for international audiences. That window, too, appears to have now closed.

Honey Trehan Confirms International Removal

When SCREEN reached out to director Honey Trehan about the film’s disappearance from ZEE5’s international catalogue,

he confirmed the development with a brief, “Yes.”

The removal was first flagged by users on social media. One X user wrote, “So it’s been removed internationally as well.” Reddit users also noted that Satluj was no longer visible outside India, with one post saying that the move showed “efforts to censor and remove the film are still ongoing.”

So it’s been removed internationally as well…

— Namrata Joshi (@Namrata_Joshi) July 11, 2026

The takedown has only intensified curiosity around the film. One user commented that the ban had made the film more popular, adding that even non-Punjabi friends heard about it only after the controversy. Another user said pirated versions were already circulating, but added that the filmmakers “deserved to earn a dime out of it.”

Why Was Satluj Removed From ZEE5?

ZEE5 had earlier issued a short statement after pulling down the film in India. “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,” the statement read.

After the takedown, co-producer Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies also confirmed to SCREEN through a spokesperson, “The government has pulled it down,” while expressing hope that the film would return “hopefully soon.”

According to PTI, a government official said the film was submitted to the CBFC in 2022 as Punjab 95, but the makers did not agree to the board’s proposed 127 cuts. The official claimed the film was later released directly on OTT under a new title without CBFC certification, and ZEE5 was asked to remove it due to security concerns.

What Is Satluj About?

Satluj is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The film revisits Punjab’s militancy years and focuses on disappearances, alleged extrajudicial killings, illegal detentions and the reported cremation of unidentified bodies during counter-insurgency operations.

Before the film was pulled down, Honey Trehan had said he still did not know who had objected to it. “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 told Mid-Day.

Along with Diljit Dosanjh, Satluj stars Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.