Satluj: Kanwaljit Singh Raises Concern Over 'Illegal Viewing' Amid Ban, Says 'Govt Should Give It Right Platform'

Satluj,

earlier titled Punjab 95, finally arrived on Zee5 after being indefinitely postponed due to Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) issues. The Diljit Dosanjh-starrer opened to rave reviews from critics and netizens for its portrayal of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra's investigation into illegal deaths in the state. However, amid the praise, the film was abruptly taken down from the OTT platform due to "security reasons." While the streamer, in a statement, promised to bring it back, the alleged India ban has sparked conversations around artistic freedom and censorship. Amid this, Satluj actor Kanwaljit Singh has raised concerns over people watching pirated versions of the film.

Satluj Actor Kanwaljit Singh Raises Concern Over 'Illegal Viewing' Amid Ban

Speaking with Times Now Executive Editor Shreya Dhoundial, Kanwaljit said, "Mujhe toh yeh afsoos hai aur dukh hai ki this has become (a controversy)... agar yeh nahi hota toh people would not have seen it. Now everybody is curious ki what's there in the film. Toh ab zyada dekhi jaa rahi hai. That's the good point. The bad point is the economy is not running in the direction it's supposed to go. Illegally dekha jaaraha hai. Toh government should realise this. Balki, I am told that iski viral hogayi hai. Aur agar viral ho hi gayi hai toh isko ab right platform diya jaaye taaki everybody is benefited concerning to the film."(Translation: What saddens and disappoints me is that this has become a controversy. If this hadn't happened, people probably wouldn't have seen it. Now everybody is curious about what's in the film, so more people are watching it. That's the good part. The bad part is that the economy is not moving in the direction it's supposed to because people are watching it illegally. The government should realise this. In fact, I've been told that it has gone viral. And if it has already gone viral, then it should be given the right platform so that everybody connected with the film benefits.)

Kanwaljit Singh On Satluj Ban

The veteran actor also revealed that no one had informed him about the film's OTT release. He was shooting in Patiala for a Netflix series when he suddenly received a message saying that the film was now available on Zee5. He added that the team was not informed beforehand and said that had they known, there could have been publicity and discussions around its release."After all, we had been waiting for 2.5-3 years or more. Uske baad, ekdum aayi aur ekdum gawaa di gayi. Usme itni adchane aayi aur sort out huwi, eventually jab aayi toh ab hatane ki kya zarurat thi? Mujhe samajh nahi aati. Yaa toh inhe pehle script di jaaye aur yeh approve kare, main toh kehta hu ki approve karne ke baad bhi hata di jaati hai. Aisa bhi huwa hai. I really don't know what policy they useAfter all, we had been waiting for two-and-a-half to three years, or even longer. Then it suddenly arrived, and just as suddenly, it was taken away. The film faced so many hurdles, and after everything was sorted out, when it finally came out, why was there a need to remove it? I don't understand. Either the script should be submitted to them first and they should approve it. But even after approval, films have been removed. That has happened too," added the actor.

Why Was Satluj Removed From Zee5?

Satluj, also starring Arjun Rampal, Geetika Vidya, Suvinder Vicky and others, premiered on ZEE5 on July 3. Two days later, the film was taken down from the platform.The release reportedly violated the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Instead of complying with the certification process, the makers went ahead with OTT release.