The film has had an unusually long and difficult journey to its release.

It was originally titled, external Ghallughara, a Punjabi term associated with some of the darkest episodes in Sikh history.

It refers to the mass killings of Sikhs by Mughal forces in 1746 and by the forces of the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1762.

Director Honey Trehan has said that India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the government body that certifies films for public exhibition in cinemas, asked filmmakers to change the title during the certification process, but did not explain her reasons publicly.

The film was later retitled Punjab ’95, referring to the year Khalra disappeared.

The film was due to premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, but producers pulled it , externalwhile certification issues in India remained unresolved. The festival did not publicly link the withdrawal to the certification dispute.

The dispute centered on a long list of changes sought by the CBFC. Trehan said, external The news website Scroll in 2025 reported that the board’s objections initially numbered 21, but eventually grew to 127 proposed cuts.

“Anything that was a reference to reality had to be removed,” he said, arguing that the changes would have fundamentally altered the film.

Trehan said, external New Lines Magazine last year that after several rounds of review, the CBFC sought changes that included a new title, the removal of references to Khalra and edits of scenes depicting police violence.

He said the board also questioned some of the film’s factual claims and warned that it could trigger law and order problems in Punjab.

The filmmakers challenged the CBFC’s claims in the Bombay High Court but later withdrew., external his request, choosing to accept the board’s changes in hopes of obtaining certification, The Hindu newspaper reported. Trehan later said the list of requested cuts and changes continued to grow despite efforts to resolve the dispute.

The CBFC has not commented publicly on its account. The BBC has sought comment from the board.

These unresolved issues caused the project to remain in limbo for almost three years.

However, last week, the makers announced that the film would skip a theatrical release and instead release directly on ZEE5 with a new title, Satluj.

On the day Satluj landed on ZEE5, Trehan said the film had been released “without any cuts or compromises”., external in the form originally intended by the filmmakers, although they were unable to retain the title Punjab ’95.

Films released theatrically in India must be certified by the CBFC under the Cinematography Act, but those released directly on streaming platforms do not require its approval.

Instead, streaming platforms like ZEE5 are governed by the Information Technology Rules 2021, which mandate age ratings, a code of ethics and a complaints mechanism, but do not exempt them from takedown orders under Indian law.

Following the film’s removal from the streaming platform for Indian audiences, Trehan told The Indian Express newspaper: “I am lost right now. I don’t know how to react to this development.”

Meanwhile, ZEE5 has said it stands behind the film and the “creative vision behind it” and “hoped to bring it back soon”, without sharing any timeline.

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