THE abrupt removal of a film starring popular Indian singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh from a streaming platform has triggered a row, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Satluj is inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during Punjab’s separatist insurgency — and then he himself disappeared.

He was later found to have been abducted and murdered. Several Punjab police officers were eventually convicted for their role in the killing.

Satluj was released on the ZEE5 platform on Friday but removed two days later.

ZEE5 said in a statement the film would be unavailable in India “until further notice” because of “current developments” but did not explain what they were. With ZEE5 pulling it, the film is no longer officially available in India.

Completed in 2022, the film never made it to cinemas because of a prolonged dispute with India’s film certification board.

Despite its brief availability, Satluj received strong reviews. The Hollywood Reporter described it as “one of the finest Indian films of the year”.

The Indian Express quoted a spokesperson for RSVP Movies, the film’s producer, as saying it was removed on government orders. The government has not publicly commented on the decision. The BBC has contacted the federal information and broadcasting ministry for a response.

Dosanjh addressed the removal in a live social media video, saying he had expected the film to be taken down but not so quickly.

“My love and respect to all of you. What I had already expected is exactly what happened. I thought the film might get banned when [government] offices opened on Monday, but I didn’t know it would happen as early as Sunday evening.”

Dosanjh said the uncertainty surrounding the film’s release was why its makers had kept promotions to a minimum. “If we had promoted it, the film would definitely not have been released at all,” he said. Despite its removal, Dosanjh said he was glad audiences had finally been able to watch the film after years of delays.

Inspired by Khalra’s life, the film follows an activist investigating alleged human rights abuses during Punjab’s separatist insurgency, one of the bloodiest chapters in modern Indian history.

From the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, Sikh militants seeking an independent state of Khalistan fought Indian security forces in an insurgency that killed thousands.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026