'Go ahead, block': Diljit Dosanjh says he’s unsurprised after Satluj’s removal from ZEE5 in 48 hours

After Diljit Dosanjh’s period investigative drama Satluj was pulled from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its release, the actor went live on Instagram, asking audiences to continue watching it through downloaded copies. In the same interaction, he openly challenged attempts to restrict its circulation, suggesting that once content is online, it cannot be fully contained. He also noted that the sudden removal was something the team had anticipated, which is why the film was released on OTT without any promotional push.

The film had begun streaming on Friday evening and was taken down by Sunday evening despite strong early responses. Based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, Satluj had already been stuck in limbo since 2023 after repeated hurdles in securing a theatrical release. Producer RSVP Movies told SCREEN that the takedown happened following a government directive, while NDTV reported government sources describing the move as deliberate, citing concerns that certain portions of the film “can be used against India”.

In his latest Instagram live, Diljit Dosanjh walked viewers through the film’s long and difficult journey, its repeated delays, censorship issues, and the decision to rely on a surprise release strategy. He also thanked viewers who managed to download the film before it disappeared, encouraging them to share access further.

During the live, he made it clear the removal did not catch him off guard: “It is not a shock to me. I knew it would happen since the film came out. I thought Satluj would be removed once offices open on Monday. However, I didn’t expect it will happen on Sunday itself. All this has been going on since day one, that’s why we couldn’t even promote the film.” Diljit said if they had promoted the film, it would never have been allowed to release.

He also added that he was glad that the film reached many households. "I wanted our hard work to reach the audience. Congratulations to our team, we achieved what we wanted to. It’s your film, you watch it however you want.”

Explaining the strategy behind the launch, he added, “This was pretty much expected. To not tell anyone (about release) and do it suddenly was the only way to release the film. If we had promoted it even two days before, it wouldn’t have reached you all. I was watching a video in the morning, in which the film was being screened at a gurudwara.”

Diljit Dosanjh also revisited the prolonged battle around the film, pointing to years of obstacles involving certification and production setbacks under the Central Board of Film Certification.

“If you try to control and ban the film, it will be talked about even more. If you listen to my advice, don’t do that, let it release. If something has come up on the internet once, it can’t be deleted completely. We have been struggling for the last four years. The voices that were silenced years ago, they are still being silenced today,” he noted.

He continued, “Even while shooting the film, we faced so many difficulties. Our shoot used to get halted for 8-10 days several times. Even our own people troubled us a lot. It’s a salute to Honey paaji. He has given it his entire life. I would say that the film should come back on Zee5, I hope it does. More than money, it is important for the film to reach the audience.”

When fans told him they had already saved the film offline, he responded with encouragement: “It’s good that you downloaded it, I already gave a heads-up about this earlier. I saw this coming already. Always listen to my hints. Honey paaji has worked really hard. He has done a big favour for us by making such a beautiful film. Wherever you see him, I want you to thank him.”

He also issued a pointed remark about attempts to restrict access: “Lo kar lo block (block if you dare), everyone has the film downloaded. What will you do now? These people are either uneducated or innocent if they think they can remove anything from the internet.”

Following the removal, ZEE5 posted: “In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity.”

Diljit Dosanjh had previously hinted during an earlier live session that the film might not stay up long, urging audiences to watch it as soon as possible.

The film traces the disappearance of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed alleged extrajudicial killings and mass cremations of more than 25,000 people in Punjab during the 1990s. After a CBI investigation, several police officials were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with his abduction and murder.

Satluj is produced by RSVP Movies and Macguffin Pictures, and features Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, alongside Diljit Dosanjh.