Mumbai [India], July 6 (ANI): Diljit Dosanjh’s much-discussed film ‘Satluj’ has been leaked online shortly after being faraway from Zee5 in India. In view of pirated versions being circulated, the streaming platform has raised concerns and asked the audience to not support piracy.
“We’re doing our bit to bring Satluj back. Please do yours – don’t support piracy. We’re hopeful and doing all the things we will. Please don’t support piracy. We remain committed to exploring every possible avenue to bring Satluj back to you,” Zee5 wrote in a social media post.
The film, which was taken down from ZEE5 India until further notice as of July 5, had already been on the centre of sustained controversy since its release.
In an official statement following the film’s removal on Sunday, ZEE5 acknowledged the audience response and confirmed its temporary unavailability in India.
“The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming. We’re deeply grateful to each viewer who selected to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a terrific deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life,” the platform said.
Announcing the removal on Sunday, the platform stated, “In light of the present developments, Satluj might 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 on the earliest opportunity.”
Lead actor Diljit Dosanjh addressed the difficulty in a live Instagram video on Monday.
Talking to his viewers, the actor reflected on the sudden restriction of the film and the long journey behind its release, while expressing each disappointment and acceptance over the most recent development.
In his live interaction, Diljit Dosanjh spoke candidly in regards to the sequence of events leading as much as the ban. He said, “My love and respect to all of you. What I had already expected is precisely what happened. I assumed the film might get banned when offices open on Monday, but I didn’t understand it would occur as early as Sunday evening.”
The film relies on the lifetime of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra from Punjab who exposed alleged illegal killings and secret cremations through the late Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties when Punjab witnessed intense militancy and counter-insurgency operations. Khalra himself was ‘disappeared’ in 1995, and his body was found near the Harike Bridge on the Sutlej river.
He was allegedly kidnapped, tortured and killed on the behest of the then-Punjab Police officials.
The Supreme Court in 1996 ordered the CBI probe within the case on a petition filed by Khalra’s widow. The Central Bureau of Investigation found evidence that he was held at a police station in Tarn Taran and beneficial the prosecution of nine Punjab police officials for his murder and kidnapping. A Patiala court in 2005 convicted six policemen while in 2007, the Punjab and Haryana High Court prolonged life imprisonment to 4 of the accused.The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011. (ANI)