Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj has been in the eye of the storm ever since its release on OTT. The streaming platform Zee5 removed the film within 48 hours of launch on July 3, and the murmur of protests has only grown over the days.
While it is widely known that the film was called Punjab 95 before the makers changed it to Satluj, another interesting fact is now emerging about the title.
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Punjab 95 (reported in certain places as Panjab 95), it seems, is not the original name of the film either. Satluj is the third name of the Honey Trehan directorial.
WHAT WAS FILM CALLED BEFORE PUNJAB 95?
With sensitive content to narrate, Satluj has seen multiple title changes. The film, with dialogues in Hindi as well as Punjabi, was originally titled Ghallughara, a term that refers to mass massacre of Sikhs in history, specifically in 1746, 1762 and 1984.
Ghallughara would seem apt for Trehan’s film because the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, form a significant core in the film. Co-producer Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, which also presents the film, submitted the film for certification from Central Board of Film Certification (India) as Ghallughara in 2022.
HOW GHALLUGHARA BECAME PUNJAB 95
The censors demanded several cuts at this stage and, importantly, also asked for the film’s title to be changed to Punjab 95.
Not happy with the suggested new title, the makers approached the Bombay High Court even as a planned premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2023 was shelved at this stage, according to Variety.
PUNJAB 95 BECOMES SATLUJ FOR OTT
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) has said the film’s release on Zee5 violated the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. I&B sources have reportedly added that state that after the film was submitted to CBFC for theatrical release, the Board demanded around 127 cuts.
The makers then decided to release the film on Zee5, as Satluj.
WHAT IS SATLUJ ABOUT?
Satluj is a political drama based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, played by Diljit Dosanjh. Grim in tone, the plot follows Khalra as he comes across evidence of kidnappings, killings and mass burials of thousands of people in Punjab, allegedly executed by the police under orders from authorities.
Khalra was abducted and reportedly murdered in 1995, which explains the title Punjab 95. The name Satluj references the Satluj river that silently witnessed the tragic chapter of Punjab’s history. The film also features Arjun Rampal and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in its cast.
In the latest developments, a high-level government panel is being constituted to review the film’s content before a decision is taken about its OTT re-release.
“Satluj may have paused. But the conversation it started hasn’t. Thank you for the incredible love. We hope to bring it back soon,” Zee5 said in a social media post on Monday. The question is when.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
