Diljit Dosanjh's controversial film Punjab '95 to finally release in February

Diljit Dosanjh

Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Punjab '95's release was stalled owing to a hurdle at censor clearance stage. The film directed by Honey Trehan is based on the life of Punjab-based activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The film, produced by RSVP, was submitted to the censor board in December 2022. After multiple cuts and delays later, the film is now scheduled t be released in February. However, the makers have not revealed the medium on which the film will be released.

On Saturday, Diljit Dosanjh took to his Instagram handle to share some stills of himself as Jaswant Singh Khalra from the film. In the stills, he can be seen covered in blood and wearing worn and torn clothes.

"Challenge the darkness," he captioned the post. He took to Instagram stories and mentioned that the film will be released in February.

Punjab 95's CBFC challenges

In September, mid-day had reported that CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi, along with the Revising Committee, watched the gritty drama last month and handed out a final round of changes. Sources tell us that the cuts have now sharply increased from 85 to nearly 120. Not just that, one of the pivotal asks is that Khalra's character be renamed altogether. A well-placed source from the film's team reveals, "Per the CBFC's suggestion, the film will now be called Sutlej, denoting the river that unites Punjab. There are a total of almost 120 changes! The most pivotal change is to not call the protagonist Jaswant Singh anymore. Honey and producer Ronnie Screwvala told CBFC that they won't allow this change in a film that highlights Khalra's role in investigating the disappearance and killing of Sikh youths during the Punjab insurgency between 1984 and 1994. Their point of argument was that Khalra is seen as a martyr by the Sikh community and removing his name will be disrespectful not just to him and his family, but to the entire community. Not to mention that it then won't be a biopic anymore. The CBFC also stated that the movie cannot claim to be based on real-life incidents as they felt it would lead to ‘swaying of sentiments'.

The movie - also starring Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky - was first screened for the CBFC in 2022. Since then, Screwvala and Trehan have been trying their best to get it cleared. It had led to a court case, with Screwvala appealing against the Censor Board's then-ask of 22 cuts. "The makers had eventually decided to pursue an out-of-court settlement. In an earlier meeting, the Revising Committee asked them to alter a line in the film, where the protagonist remarks that over 25,000 people have been killed in Punjab. The Revising Committee stated that the number be reduced. But Honey and Ronnie had opposed it, noting that all the facts shown in the film were based on real-life testimonies and the CBI court's judgment from the '90s," added the source.