Fresh controversy has surrounded Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj after its 9.5 IMDb rating disappeared from the platform. The film, which streamed on ZEE5 for only two days before being removed in India, had ranked among the highest-rated Indian films on IMDb.
According to Mint, the film’s co-writer Niren Bhatt said he had no idea why the rating had vanished. “We didn’t even know when the film was going to release or when it was taken down. Now this IMDb rating issue… who had a problem, what the problem was, there was no communication at all,” he said.
Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta also reacted to the development on X. Questioning the credibility of IMDb ratings, he wrote that the film had been rated 9.5 until the previous day before the score disappeared. He added that although he never trusted IMDb ratings, the incident proved how unreliable they were.
Bhatt had earlier criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the film’s prolonged release battle. In an interview with Variety India, he said someone within the establishment appeared to have a serious objection to the film, but the bigger issue was the complete absence of communication. He claimed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had remained silent for years without explaining its objections or identifying the decision-makers involved.
Diljit Dosanjh also commented on the film’s removal, saying the ban was expected and that many people had already downloaded the film. ZEE5, however, urged viewers not to support piracy.
The film chronicles the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra during Punjab’s turbulent years in the 1990s. Khalra investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in the state between 1984 and 1994 before disappearing in 1995.
In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted for abducting and murdering Khalra and received seven-year prison sentences. Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court increased their punishment to life imprisonment.
Originally titled Panjab ’95, the film remained with the censor board for more than three years before ZEE5 released it uncut under the new title Satluj on 3 July. The platform removed the film on 5 July.
Since then, several Sikh religious groups and other organisations have begun publicly screening the film at gurdwaras and village grounds across parts of Punjab.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced on Wednesday that his party would screen Satluj in every village and corner of Punjab. In a post on X, he said the screenings would help future generations understand what he described as the oppression of thousands of innocent Sikh youths and prominent Sikh figures, including Jaswant Singh Khalra, during the Congress regime. He added that the film portrayed the painful period following the military operation at the Golden Temple and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
