For the last two years, Diljit Dosanjh’s Punjab 95 has been awaiting a release date. Caught in a web of delays and censorship, the makers and fans have been met with more disappointment with the movie being delayed indefinitely.
Directed by Honey Trehan, it was earlier set to premiere in 2023 during the famed Toronto International Film Festival. The intervention of the Indian authorities prior to it led to the postponement, beginning the indefinite hiatus. With the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) making demands to cut 127 scenes, the filmmakers and CBFC have entered a stalemate, forcing the movie into an undecided void.
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, the movie provides a real-life account of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Khalra, who was a bank director, had played a pivotal role in exposing the mass disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Punjab during the militancy era. He was later abducted and killed in 1995. Dosanjh, who is cast in the lead role, is joined by a stellar cast comprising Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljeet, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.
“Shuru shuru mein maine mann maar ke 21 cuts kare, socha chalo picture nahi atkey” (At first, I begrudgingly agreed to 21 cuts so that at least the release doesn’t stall), Trehan shared with The Indian Express. Trehan further adds that some of the demands put forward by CBFC are “verbally non-negotiable” – removal of the name “Khalra”, deletion of the visuals of the Indian flag, avoiding the name “Punjab Police”, muting the Gurbani sound, changing the names of locations and renaming the film.
“No reasons have been given formally. I am willing to cut anything if it’s a court directive, but I am not being allowed to fight in court,” says Trehan. The Raat Akeli Hai director also mentions that though the case had reached the Bombay High Court in 2023, the makers were asked to withdraw the same.
Despite his disapproval, Trehan has adhered to the demands thrust upon the production, including a revamp of the movie title to “Sutlej”, under the hope of getting approval.
