Diljit's film 'Satluj' taken down on government order:Panel formed to review content; Anurag Kashyap compares director to Iranian filmmaker

Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj was released on the OTT platform Zee5 on July 2, which was suddenly removed on July 5 without any reason being stated. The removal of the film sparked controversy. Many celebrities are protesting this and supporting Diljit and the filmmakers. Diljit has also appealed to fans to share the downloaded film as much as possible. According to new reports, the film has been removed from the OTT platform on government orders under the IT Rule 2021. According to a report by Times of India, the central government directed ZEE5 to remove the film 'Satluj'. According to government sources, this decision was taken citing security concerns and obligations defined under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021. According to a government official, the filmmakers had applied for CBFC certification in 2022 under the title 'Punjab 95'. However, the 127 cuts suggested by the Censor Board were not accepted, after which the film's release was halted. The official said, "Filmmakers did not implement the cuts suggested by the Censor Board and later changed the film's name and quietly released it on OTT. Since OTT does not come under the jurisdiction of CBFC, ZEE5 was asked to remove the film when the matter came to the government's notice." Notably, content released on OTT platforms is not regulated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It operates under Part-3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. A high-level inter-departmental committee set to examine content of ‘Satluj’ ‘Honey Trehan would face what Jafar Panahi faced in Iran': Anurag Kashyap Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap wrote from his official social media account after the film was removed from the OTT platform, Satluj. I never thought that one day Honey Trehan would have to face the same situation that Jafar Panahi had to face in Iran. Notably, Jafar Panahi had faced government restrictions, arrest, and censorship in Iran regarding his films and freedom of expression. Film being shared on social media After the film was removed from the OTT platform, Diljit Dosanjh said, I don't care. I thought the film would be removed earlier. Many people have already downloaded this film. Share the film as much as possible and reach as many people as possible. After Diljit's statement came out, many fans are uploading the film on YouTube and social media. Zee5 appealed to stop piracy After Diljit's statement came out, Zee5 issued an official statement saying, 'We hope, and we are doing everything for it. Please do not support piracy. We are making every effort to bring back the film Satluj.' Why is controversy all about? According to sources connected to the central government, there is apprehension that some parts of the film might be misused by anti-India forces. There is concern that some scenes and content of the film could be used to create an atmosphere in favour of the Khalistan separatist movement, especially before the Punjab assembly elections. The government believes that "in such cases, issues related to national security are paramount. This is not a matter of politics."