Diljit Dosanjh's 'Satluj' streams uncut on ZEE5 after Toronto pull
Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj, the Honey Trehan drama formerly titled Punjab '95 and withdrawn from its 2023 Toronto International Film Festival premiere, is now streaming globally on ZEE5 Global as the complete, uncut film—the version director Honey Trehan says arrives without any cuts or compromises, three years after India's censor board first challenged the project. The July 3, 2026 launch gives international audiences their first major-platform access to a story inspired by human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
Key Takeaways
- Satluj began streaming worldwide on ZEE5 Global on July 3, 2026, in full and without cuts.
- The film was previously known as Punjab '95 and was pulled from a planned gala premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
- Director Honey Trehan says the release is the complete film, without compromises, as originally intended.
- The RSVP and MacGuffin Pictures production stars Diljit Dosanjh and traces Khalra's fight over thousands of disappearances during Punjab's insurgency era.
- India's Central Board of Film Certification had cleared the project only with 21 cuts and a mandated title change before RSVP appealed in the Bombay High Court.
What Is 'Satluj' and Why Does Its Release Matter?
Satluj is a social drama directed by Honey Trehan and inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Produced by RSVP and MacGuffin Pictures, it stars Diljit Dosanjh alongside Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.
The film traces Khalra's decades-long pursuit of justice for more than 25,000 people who disappeared during Punjab's insurgency-era crackdowns, and the personal cost of his fight against a system determined to suppress the truth. For viewers tracking streaming and TV alerts, the uncut ZEE5 Global debut marks the end of a prolonged release battle that kept the project off screens for years.
Why Was the Film Pulled From Toronto?
The project was withdrawn from its planned gala premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. At the time, a source told Variety that political factors were involved in that decision.
The Toronto pull became a defining chapter in the film's troubled path to audiences. While international festivals do not require an Indian censor certificate, the team chose not to proceed with the high-profile premiere as the project remained entangled in certification disputes at home.
How Did 'Satluj' Get Its Name After 'Punjab '95'?
The film has carried multiple titles on its way to release. It was originally called Ghallughara, a historic term for massacres of Sikhs in 1746, 1762, and 1984.
When RSVP applied for certification from India's Central Board of Film Certification in late 2022, a six-month process ended with the board clearing the film only for 21 cuts and a mandated title change to Punjab '95. RSVP appealed that ruling in the Bombay High Court. Trehan told Variety the team could not keep the previous title, and the film now arrives as Satluj.
What Did the Director Say About the Uncut Version?
In a statement to Variety, Trehan said: "This is the complete film, without any cuts or compromises, in its original form as we always intended. It wouldn't have been possible without Diljit paji and our producers and their will to stand for its integrity."
He added that both he and Dosanjh had previously said they would not endorse a compromised version of the film. The ZEE5 Global release on July 3, 2026, delivers the version they fought to preserve—three years after the censor board first intervened.