Panjab ’95 release postponed again; why Diljit Dosanjh film faced 120 censor cuts, was axed from film festivals | Bollywood-OxBig News Network

Panjab’ 95 release postponed

Diljit took to Instagram Stories late on Monday with a simple note that read, “We are sorry, and it pains us to inform you that the movie Panjab ’95 will not release on 7th Feb due to circumstances beyond our control.” The singer-actor also shared a picture of the late Khalra in one of his other stories, along with a quote from him that read: ‘I pray to the Guru, who identified with truth, to keep this light lit’.

Panjab ’95, directed by Honey Trehan and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, also stars Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky, Varun Badola, and Geetika Vidya Ohlan. The film has been mired in controversies for almost three years, ever since it was submitted for certification to the CBFC.

The change in title and 120 cuts

In 2022, Panjab ’95, which was then titled Ghalughara after the Ghalughara massacre, was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification. However, the CBFC made 120 cuts in the film and objected to the title. Eventually, the apex Sikh religious body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), intervened, and the CBFC relented with the cuts but asked the title to still be changed. Eventually, the film was rechristened Panjab ’95. The film’s trailer was launched on YouTube the same year but was removed barely a day later.

In January, Diljit re-shared a new trailer of the film on Instagram. It was announced that the film would be released internationally on February 7 without any cuts. However, there was no update on an India release.

Panjab ’95 was axed from the Toronto International Film Festival

In 2023, the film was set to get its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was removed from the lineup just a day before the premiere date. A source told Variety that there are ‘political forces at play’ in the film being pulled from Toronto as Canada has the second largest Sikh population in the world after India. The festival organisers never confirmed or denied this.

What is Panjab ’95 about?

Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist from Punjab, fought against alleged fake encounters of Sikh youths by Punjab Police during militancy. He investigated the mass cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994.

In 1995, he mysteriously disappeared, and a decade later, in 2005, four police officers were arrested for his alleged abduction and murder. His life and death is a controversial part of the state’s sensitive history, particularly the connections with militancy. The film promises to tell an ‘honest’ account of his life, which has ruffled many feathers in the state.