Satluj (film)
2026 Indian film by Honey Trehan
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Satluj is a 2026 Indian biographical drama film directed by Honey Trehan and jointly produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Abhishek Chaubey and Trehan through RSVP Movies and MacGuffin Pictures respectively. The film is based on the life of the human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.[2][3] Written by Trehan with Niren Bhatt and Utsav Maitra, the film stars Diljit Dosanjh alongside Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.[3][4] It follows Khalra's investigation into enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings carried out by Punjab Police during the Punjab insurgency of the early 1990s.[5][6]
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- Honey Trehan
- Niren Bhatt
- Utsav Maitra
- Ronnie Screwvala
- Abhishek Chaubey
- Honey Trehan
| Satluj | |
|---|---|
Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Honey Trehan |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | K. U. Mohanan |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | Marc Marder |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | ZEE5 |
Release date |
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Running time | 164 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Languages |
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The film faced several obstacles in its release, originally being titled 'Ghallughara', (and even subsequently 'Punjab 95') with its release planned in 2023. The Central Board of Film Certification ordered many alterations to allow it a certificate, making the filmmakers chose not to release it in theatres instead. Its release was stalled for 3 years, before being digitally released on ZEE5 on 3 July 2026. It received positive reviews from audience and the critics.[7][8][9] The film was taken down from ZEE5 around 2 days later for Indian viewers.[10]
Plot
Jaswant Singh Khalra, a bank employee in Amritsar, begins investigating a rise in unclaimed bodies at local morgues and crematoria after the disappearance of a friend, Kirpal Singh, and later Kirpal's mother, Bibi Gurpesh Kaur. A police officer, Satnam, assists him. As Khalra's inquiry continues, his wife Paramjit remains supportive despite threats and surveillance directed at the family. A police officer named Sugga and his subordinates attempt to intimidate Khalra into abandoning his investigation. After Khalra disappears, public pressure spurred by Paramjit leads to a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry led by an officer named Samudra.
Cast
- Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra
- Arjun Rampal as Samudra Singh, a CBI officer
- Kanwaljit Singh as DGP Inderpal Singh Bitta (based on KPS Gill)
- Suvinder Vicky as SSP Surjit Singh Sugga (based on Ajit Singh Sandhu)
- Geetika Vidya Ohlyan as Paramjit Kaur Khalra "Pammi"
- S. M. Zaheer as CM Anant Singh (based on Beant Singh)
- Saurabh Sachdeva as Senior Constable Satnam Singh
- Amit Dhawan as DSP Jagpal Singh
- Varun Badola as Advocate Ravinder Jais
- Nassar as DGP S. P. Varma
- Jyoti Dogra as Bibi Gurpej Kaur Bannowal
- Bhupender Singh as Kirpal Singh Bannowal
- Amardeep Jha as Satnam Singh's mother
- Jagjeet Sandhu as SPO Kuljit Singh
- Vansh Bhardwaj as Inspector Shivender Singh
- Vikas Mohla as SI Harinder Singh
- Akhilesh Dwivedi as SI Tejinder Singh
- Ramji Bali as Inspector Ajay Kumar
- Milind Dhaimade as CBI Chief Bhullar
- Anurag Arora as Government Official
- Amardeep Gill as MLA Mahinderpal Singh
- Anil Mange as Sanjiv Singh
- Anjuman Saxena as High Court Judge
Production
The film was initially titled as Ghallughara, which means historical massacre of Sikhs. In December 2022, the film was stuck in a six month long certification process, with the CBFC demanding 21 cuts and a title change. Later, the production house challenged the decision in Bombay High Court.[11] After intervention of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the film was decided to be released uncut, but with its new title Punjab '95, after objections were raised by CBFC on the previous title.[12][13] Later, the revising committee of CBFC reviewed the film and demanded more than 120 cuts.[14] The official trailer was removed from YouTube in India, a day after its release.[15] An uncut international release was announced for 7 February 2025, in multiple countries, excluding India. However, the release was postponed once again for undisclosed reasons.[16][17] Trehan and Dosanjh said they would not release a version of the film altered to meet the board's demands.[18][19]
Release
In 2023, the film was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was removed from the line-up at the last moment.[20] Finally after multiple delays, the film's uncut version under a new title Satluj was released digitally on ZEE5 on 3 July 2026.[3][21] However, two days after the release, the film was pulled from ZEE5 India until further notice.[22][23]
A day after the release of the film, Dosanjh had already anticipated that the film might get taken down from ZEE5. Answering a question whether Satluj would get taken down from ZEE5 from a fan during an Instagram live session, he had said:
“It can happen. There’s that fear. Today is Saturday. It could be pulled down by Monday. But let’s worry not. You can download the film till now. Those who want to stop the film can do that. Those who want to take panga can do that. There’s no tension.”[24]
In an interview with The Free Press Journal, Kanwaljit Singh, who portrayed the character of DGP Inderpal Singh Bitta in Satluj, criticized the taking down of the film from ZEE5 as a violation of free speech, saying:
"I spoke to Honey after the film was taken down, and he said they shall be taking the matter to court. But what I don't understand is why they had to take it off. Even people who weren't going to watch it will want to watch it now. It has also been downloaded by so many people, so even though lots of people will be watching it, the producers will lose out. But I want to ask, what is this freedom of speech? Tell me, I really want to know. That right is being strangled."[25]
Reception
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 4 stars out of 5 and said that "Satluj is a powerful political film that pulls no punches, It is unmissable. Its title may have changed, its power hasn't diminished one bit".[26] Shubhra Gupta writing for The Indian Express rated it 3.5 stars out of 5 and writes that "But there’s nothing generic about the film. It is a powerful, moving account of a lone man holding up a candle to dispel darkness. Take a bow, Honey Trehan, and Team Satluj; this is a clear win for filmmakers who want to tell the story of an actual person, time and place, with unwavering conviction."[27]
Reviewing the film for Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath called it a harrowing and heart-rending account of unchecked state power, praising Dosanjh's understated performance and the ensemble cast, including Ohlyan, Vicky and Rampal. She wrote that the film's insistence on Khalra's religious motivations understates the leftist political tradition the real Khalra came from, and that its 163-minute runtime includes some indulgent stretches, but called it one of the sharpest political films in recent memory.[4]
Debanjan Dhar of Outlook rated the film 4/5 stars and called it one of the year's most essential films and praised Dosanjh and Suvinder Vicky's performances, describing Vicky's character as a chilling study in institutional cruelty.[28]
Writing in India TV News, the critic praised the muted cinematography and restrained score but found the editing loose in places, arguing that trimming around fifteen minutes would have tightened the film, and gave it 3.5/5 stars.[9]
Bhumi Vashisht of Sunday Guardian Live called it a fearless docu-drama and praised Dosanjh's performance as a departure from his earlier screen persona.[29]
Giving the film 3/5 stars, Troy Ribeiro of Free Press Journal called it a sincere and necessary work with a clear moral spine, praising Dosanjh's understated lead performance and Arjun Rampal and Kanwaljit Singh's supporting turns, and noted that the film favours atmosphere over spectacle.[30]
Shilajit Mitra of The Hollywood Reporter India stated that it Hearty and Harrowing and The Finest Indian Films of The Year.[31] Critc of Bollywood Hungama rated it 3.5/5 stars and state d that "SATLUJ brings a deeply disturbing true story to the screen with remarkable sensitivity and is powered by marvellous performances from Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky."[32]
Neeshita Nyayapati reviewing for Hindustan Times gave 4 stars out of 5 and said that "Satluj might seem like the story of just one person, one region, and the horrific acts that occurred during a single period. But beneath the tension-filled and heartbreaking tale lies the answer to whether one person could ever bring about social change. More than just a sharp political film, Satluj is a reminder that a lamp can vanquish darkness, a relevant message for today's world."[33] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu writes in his review that "Diljit Dosanjh shines as a solitary lamp whose conviction outlasts the darkest night in this moving tribute to social activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, where director Honey Trehan examines the rhetoric around the dehumanisation of citizens."[1]
Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated it 4/5 stars and said that "Satluj is not conventional entertainment, nor does it aspire to be. It is a film that educates, disturbs and moves in equal measure. It honours the memory of a man who chose truth over safety and conscience over silence. At a time when meaningful cinema often struggles to find space, films like this become all the more valuable."[34]
Agnivo Niyogi of The Telegraph (India) appreciated the performances of Diljit Dosanjh, the supporting cast (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, Saurabh Sachdeva, Suvinder Vicky, Kanwaljit Singh and Arjun Rampal), K.U. Mohanan’s cinematography, Sreekar Prasad’s editing and filmmaker, Honey Trehan. For the latter, he wrote, "Trehan refuses to reduce systemic abuse to isolated incidents or a handful of villains. Instead, he patiently shows how institutions can normalise extraordinary violence when accountability disappears."[35]