Diljit Dosanjh’s most controversial film Punjab ’95 has been finally cleared for release. The latest news comes almost three years after the film was submitted to CBFC, who refused to pass it without proper cuts.
Diljit confirmed the film’s arrival in an Instagram post with three pictures and he appears with an injured face in two photos. In the third photo, he is posing with two kids. Notably, further updates are awaited on whether the film will be released on the big screen or directly on an OTT platform.
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The major reason behind CBFC’s objections was the film’s sensitive content as it is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Kalra who worked on exposing the disappearances and deaths of Sikh youths during the Punjab’s insurgency, which happened during the 80s and 90s.
The initial reports claimed that the censor board requested 85 cuts and later expanded it to 120. The main change requested by the CBFC was a change in the lead character’s name instead of using the real name, Jaswant Singh Kalra.
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Furthermore, CBFC also requested to avoid promoting the film by saying that it was based on real-life events. Another modification asked by the makers was changing the film’s title to Sutlej.
However, Punjab ’95 director Honey Tehran and producer Ronnie Screwvala refused to agree to the cuts, saying that changing the main character’s name would be disrespectful and changing a biographical film into fictional.
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Ronnie was still ready to make 22 cuts and approached the court for the same. While everything was settled outside the court, CBFC’s Revising Committee still asked for other changes, including the reduction of number of deaths reported in Punjab.
While the film is finally confirmed to be released, it remains to be seen if the content is hard-hitting to get the attention of the audience. Such films deserve to be released in theatres so that viewers can connect with those who have been victims of such incidents.
A release date is yet to be confirmed and the film features Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky playing important roles.
