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'Satluj' No Longer On ZEE5 After Security Flag, Director Honey Trehan Says CBFC Did Not Contact Him
Director Honey Trehan has recently responded to the removal of 'Satluj' from ZEE5. Notably, the OTT platform addressed "current developments" as the reason behind their action.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleDiljit Dosanjh’s Satluj has created a big debate on social media after being removed from ZEE5. Notably, the biographical drama was taken down from the platform two days after its premiere on July 3, 2026. While ZEE5 shared a statement about the removal, addressing new developments, a specific reason was not revealed by them. Meanwhile, Honey Trehan, the director of the film, has now opened up about the ongoing issue.
Honey Trehan reveals the process that led to the release of Satluj
For the unversed, Satluj was initially titled Punjab 95, and it was supposed to be released in 2023. However, the film witnessed a big hurdle with CBFC, which requested multiple cuts. The makers cancelled the release, and the future of the film was uncertain at that time.
Although it arrived on ZEE5 on July 3, 2026, it was removed two days later from the platform. While Diljit Dosanjh and many others reacted to the situation from their side, director Honey Trehan also opened up about it in an interview and said:
“If somebody asks me who had a problem with the film, I genuinely don’t know. I don’t have a face. I don’t have a name. Everything came through third persons or lawyers. There came a point when there was simply no communication anymore. After everything we’d gone through, there was nothing left to discuss. That’s when ZEE stepped in and made this release possible.”
Despite the removal of Satluj from ZEE5, Honey Trehan said that he does not have a problem with anyone. He said that while some things are hard to accept, he reminds himself that it is just about one film and that the people running the country have bigger responsibilities to handle. He ended by saying that he has a lot of respect for all those individuals and their positions at the same time.
Government official opens up on the reasons leading to the removal of Satluj
While ZEE5 has not confirmed anything about the return of Satluj on their platform, a government official recently opened up on the reasons for the film’s removal. The official claimed that the CBFC asked for 127 cuts, and the producers were not ready to accept the same.
However, the makers eventually decided to release the movie quietly on OTT. Addressing the reasons behind opting for an OTT release, the official said:
“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 OTT, they should follow the laid down norms.”
Meanwhile, the writer of Satluj, Niren Bhatt, also reacted to the removal of the film by saying that the main problem lies in the lack of communication. Niren addressed the CBFC, stating that they never open up about the problems in the film and the moments that are expected to offend the audience. Niren also referred to ZEE5’s statement and seemingly questioned why they did not reveal anything about the ‘current developments.’
Apart from Diljit Dosanjh, Satluj also features Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, Geetika Vaidya Ohlyan, S.M. Zaheer, Saurabh Sachdeva, and many others playing important roles.
What are your thoughts on the removal of Satluj from ZEE5? Let us know.
PC: ZEE TV USA/YouTube
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