Diljit Dosanjh’s Film Vanishes from ZEE5 After Two Days

Mon Sep 14 2026 14:26:16 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Popular Punjabi star’s streaming titi…

Indian music‑cine‑actor Diljit Dosanjh’s debut on the streaming platform ZEE5 was abruptly pulled two days after launch, leaving audiences and the media alike scrambling for answers. Satluj, the film built around the life of human‑rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, defended itself in the courts against a long‑standing censorship dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification. While the film enjoyed glowing reviews, its release was caught up in “current developments” – a vague government directive that led to its removal from the market. Dosanjh’s own on‑screen apology acknowledged the headline “expected censorship”, and the platform’s promise of a brief pause left many questioning the balance between creative expression and national security. The incident sparks renewed debate over the power of state bodies to silence politically‑sensitive narratives on the front of domestic media.

Diljit Dosanjh’s Film Vanishes from ZEE5 After Two Days

Diljit Dosanjh speaking on stage — Diljit Dosanjh at BC Place, Vancouver, 2026.

The popular Indian singer‑actor Diljit Dosanjh saw his new film, titled Satluj, appear on the streaming service ZEE5 on Friday. The film – which dramatises the real‑life investigations of human‑rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra – was pulled from the platform just two days later, leaving viewers and critics puzzled. ZEE5 issued a short statement saying the film will be unavailable in India “until further notice” because of “current developments”, offering no further details.

That terse announcement came after a three‑year odyssey to get Satluj past the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film was initially called Ghallughara, later changed to Punjab ’95, before finally landing on its release name Satluj. The CBFC demanded a series of edits – reportedly growing from 21 to 127 – that called for a title change, removal of references to Khalra and cuts depicting police violence. The filmmakers fought the board in the Bombay High Court before withdrawing their petition in an attempt to secure certification.

The film’s premature stream‑only release meant it was exempt from CBFC clearance, yet it was still subject to Indian law, enabling any government entity to issue a takedown order. According to an Indian Express spokesperson for the producer RSVP Movies, the removal was “under government orders”, though no official comment has yet surfaced from the federal ministries.

Dosanjh addressed the sudden disappearance in a live video on his social media, expressing both surprise and understanding. He said he had expected the film might lose a theatrical run, but not the speed at which it vanished: “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.”

The film itself had been praised as one of the finest Indian films of the year by The Hollywood Reporter and had sparked conversation across Hindi‑language media after its brief appearance on the platform. With no definitive timeline for a return, ZEE5 continues to hold out hope of bringing the movie back once the “current developments” are resolved.

This episode is the latest flashpoint in India’s ongoing dialogue on censorship, the powers of the CBFC, and the tension between state security narratives and freedom of expression. For now, the fate of Satluj hangs in the balance, leaving a void in a cinema history that could have shed light on a dark chapter of Punjab’s past.