Diljit Dosanjh's film 'Sutlej' is unofficially popular abroad

Despite being removed from OTT platform Zee5 in India, Diljit Dosanjh’s film ‘Sutlej’ is gaining immense interest among overseas audiences. Renowned Punjabi singer Jasper Jassi has claimed that the film is being shared and downloaded in large numbers through WhatsApp in various countries, including the US.

Talking to the media, Jasper Jassi said that although the film is no longer available on the platform for Indian viewers, people in the US and other countries are watching it through various means. According to him, the speed at which the film is being shared on WhatsApp, perhaps no film has ever reached such a large number of people’s mobile phones informally in the past.

Jasper Jassi also raised questions about the decision to remove the film in India. He said that there is no such content in the film on the basis of which there is a need to stop it. He said that if any institution or police has got the impression that the film shows law enforcement agencies as helpless, then in fact it is a reflection of issues like incompetence and corruption rather than any helplessness.

The film is based on the life and struggle of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalda and has been mired in various controversies since its inception. The film was initially titled ‘Punjab 95’, which was submitted to the Indian Censor Board for approval in 2022, but it was stuck in the certification stage for almost three years.

According to the film’s director, the Censor Board had demanded 127 cuts in the film, while its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 was also canceled due to government objections.

Finally, after several years of delay, the film was released on Zee Five on July 3 under the name ‘Sutlej’, but shortly after its release, it was removed from the platform for Indian users. Along with Diljit Dosanjh, the film also stars Kanwaljeet Singh and Arjun Rampal in important roles.