Just days after Satluj finally reached audiences on ZEE5, the Diljit Dosanjh-led film has found itself at the centre of a fresh legal and political storm. A Public Interest Litigation has now been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the film’s restoration, intensifying the backlash over its abrupt removal from the streaming platform within 48 hours of release.
The petition arrives at a moment when Satluj, inspired by the life of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has already triggered fierce debate over censorship, free speech and state intervention. What was meant to be the long-delayed release of a film held up for years has now turned into one of the most closely watched entertainment controversies of July 2026.
Pil Challenges Takedown
Advocate Hakam Singh said the plea was filed by Shravan Singh, a Punjab resident and ZEE5 subscriber, in the larger public interest. Explaining the petition, he said, “The film Sutlej, which was released on the ZEE5 platform on the 3rd, was removed on the 5th. The petitioner has filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stating that this amounts to a violation of Article 19, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. The petitioner has demanded that the film be restored on the platform and allowed to be streamed again.”
He further said, “The PIL has been filed by Shravan Singh, a ZEE5 subscriber and a citizen of Punjab, raising issues related to public interest. He has questioned the grounds on which the film was removed without any prior notice or transparent findings.”
On the next steps, the advocate added, “A three-member committee has also been formed by the Centre in this matter, but the reasons behind stopping the film have not been made public. We hope the petition will come up for hearing by tomorrow or the next working day.”
Why Satluj Was Taken Down
Satluj, earlier titled Punjab 95, premiered on ZEE5 on July 3 and was removed in India on July 5. The takedown followed a long certification battle that began in 2022, when the film was submitted to the CBFC under its original title. The process stalled after the filmmakers refused to implement 127 cuts suggested by the board.
A government official said, “They kept sitting on the suggested cuts and eventually released the movie quietly on OTT with a new title. OTT does not come under the CBFC’s jurisdiction. When the matter came to the government’s notice, ZEE was asked to take the film down. The direction was given due to security concerns. The OTT platform was asked to follow the obligations under intermediary guidelines. If they want to release the film in theatres and on OTT, they should follow the laid-down norms.”
The removal has sharpened scrutiny on how a film that bypassed theatrical certification, changed its title, and surfaced directly on streaming became the subject of state intervention only after viewers had already started watching it.
Why The Satluj Battle Matters For Diljit Dosanjh’S Star Image
For Dosanjh, the controversy lands at a particularly defining moment. Over the past few years, he has moved with unusual ease between crowd-pleasing commercial fare and more pointed screen choices, building a filmography that stretches well beyond a conventional star vehicle. Satluj fits squarely into that more daring lane, placing him at the heart of a story that is as politically sensitive as it is emotionally charged.
That is what gives the current legal fight its larger entertainment industry significance. After fronting Main Vaapas Aaunga, directed by Imtiaz Ali and released in June 2026, Dosanjh entered Satluj with strong momentum and a steadily expanding Hindi film footprint. With confirmed theatrical projects like Border 2 and No Entry 2 also ahead, the dispute over Satluj now sits against the image of a star balancing mass appeal with riskier material. In that sense, this is no longer only a courtroom battle over one streaming title. It has become a test case tied to one of Indian entertainment’s most visible crossover names and the limits placed on contentious storytelling in the OTT era.
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