The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has called for public screenings of Satluj after the film’s removal from ZEE5, describing it as an attempt to suppress Jaswant Singh Khalra’s story. Amid the controversy, director Honey Trehan recalled that Diljit Dosanjh agreed to do the film without charging a fee and stood by the project throughout its troubled journey.“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,'” recalled Honey, who revealed Diljit didn’t charge even a penny for the film.The filmmaker also revealed that Diljit remained extraordinarily patient despite repeated production delays. “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,'” Honey told Mid-Day.“Diljit’s support has always been there. Whenever I speak to him, he really tries to empathize with me. It’s not something in our control. We all know the reasons. It’s sad, but we can’t do anything beyond a point. Diljit has been very vocal. He shows up whenever and wherever he can,” Honey said on Screen Spotlight earlier this year.Honey on when he first met DiljitIn the same interview, Honey also recalled casting Diljit in Udta Punjab, which marked the singer-actor’s Bollywood debut a decade ago. “Sartaj’s character had a lot of innocence, given what his family was going through. When you already have Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, and Kareena Kapoor, then you can definitely take a chance on a newcomer,” argued Honey.“When I was doing readings with Kareena because the lingo was Punjabi, she came up with the suggestion, ‘Why can’t we cast somebody from Punjab?’ When we narrated the script to Diljit, he was in tears. He’s a very simple person. It’s very difficult to meet a person like Diljit in life today,” added the then-casting director. Diljit Dosanjh and Kareena Kapoor in Udta Punjab.Sikh group to hold public screenings of SatlujLeading Sikh body, the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Tuesday criticised the removal of Satluj from ZEE5. “Since this film is a biographical portrayal of Jaswant Singh Khalra, it depicts how a social activist opened people’s eyes to the truth. He uncovered evidence of 25,000 bodies that had been cremated as ‘unclaimed’ and raised the issue not only within the country, but also internationally, highlighting the dire situation in Punjab,” the body said in a statement.Story continues below this ad“Suppressing this story, preventing the events of that dark era from reaching the public, is deeply wrong, and it has sparked immense outrage across the Sikh community,” it added. “We have asked all Gurdwara committee members to download and screen the film in their respective areas to ensure that it reaches the public,” said the body.“Furthermore, we will soon convene a meeting with the chairpersons of our schools and colleges. Seminars on Jaswant Singh Khalra will be organised in every college to discuss his life and legacy. We want people to realise the impact a single social activist can have on society. If one individual can achieve so much, there is no reason why we cannot all work together to do the same,” it concluded.Satluj’s long censorship battleSatluj, previously titled Punjab ’95, has been fighting censorship for over three years now. When its world premiere was announced at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023, the makers were forced to withdraw the film despite the film not requiring CBFC certification for a festival screening. Then the Central Board of Film Certification, after multiple delays, demanded 127 cuts in the film, which the makers refused to execute.The makers have alleged that they were later prevented from holding private screenings. They also claimed that despite favourable observations during court proceedings, they were pressured to withdraw the case. According to the filmmakers, similar hurdles arose when they attempted an international theatrical release.Story continues below this adLast week, renamed as Satluj, the film was suddenly dropped on ZEE5. After getting rave reviews and a lot of attention from the streaming audience, Satluj was unceremoniously removed from the platform. While ZEE5 just stated its commitment to bring back the film by following the “due course”, an Information and Broadcasting Ministry official told ANI that the film was removed because it evaded the certification process and released on OTT with another name instead.Satluj is based on the life of Khalra, who brought to light the extrajudicial killings and cremations of over 2500 people in Punjab during the 1990s, with the involvement of Punjab Police. Khalra was later abducted and killed. An investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) led to the arrest and life imprisonment of several police officers from Punjab.Also Read — Satluj: A cop blew the whistle on Jaswant Singh Khalra’s torture, death; he was then killedSatluj is co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, and Honey and Chaubey’s Macguffin Pictures. Besides Diljit, it also stars Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, and Kanwaljit Singh among others. Honey Trehan and several members of the cast have publicly objected to the film’s removal from ZEE5.