Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
After actor Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj was removed from the OTT platform ZEE5, the film has found an unexpected new audience in Punjab's villages, where community-led public screenings are rapidly gaining momentum.
Across several districts, including Moga, Sangrur, Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Barnala, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur and Rajpura, the film is being screened at gurdwaras, village community spaces and open grounds.
In many villages, announcements made through gurdwara loudspeakers invite residents to gather in the evening for the screenings, attracting large numbers of families and local residents.
The initiative is being coordinated by gurdwara management committees, sports clubs, social organisations and volunteers, who are arranging LED screens, projectors, sound systems and seating. Several events are reportedly being financially supported by Punjabis living overseas to ensure the film reaches a wider audience.
According to reports, the first community screening was organised in a village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district before the campaign quickly spread across Punjab.
Satluj is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who documented alleged illegal cremations and enforced disappearances during Punjab's militancy period. Khalra was abducted and killed in September 1995. In the subsequent investigation and trial, six Punjab Police personnel were convicted in connection with the case.
