Film on Punjab Disappearances Resurfaces in Community Screenings After Indian Censorship

A film shedding light on disappearances during a period of insurgency in India’s Punjab is now being shown in community gatherings across villages, following its removal from streaming platforms in India due to censorship requests. The movie, now known as “Satluj,” was initially titled “Punjab 95.”

The film chronicles the work of a human rights activist investigating disappearances that occurred in the region during the 1980s and 1990s. After facing demands for censorship, the movie underwent more than 120 cuts by India’s censor board. Subsequently, it was removed from the streaming service ZEE5 shortly after its debut.

In response to the film’s removal from official platforms, Sikh organizations and activists have taken the initiative to organize independent screenings. These events are transforming local community spaces into makeshift cinemas, providing a platform for the film’s narrative to be shared and for residents to engage with the history of the region during that turbulent period.

The move by these organizations aims to ensure that the story depicted in the film reaches the public, circumventing the censorship that led to its withdrawal from mainstream digital distribution. The screenings are fostering discussions and allowing for a re-examination of historical events through the medium of cinema within the communities directly affected by the events portrayed.