Film on Sikh activist banned in India finds support in Surrey, B.C., and elsewhere in Canada

Satluj stars Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra, a Sikh activist who spoke out against brutality in Punjab

A film that has been blocked in Indian and also pulled from a streaming service two days after its release is drawing interest at community screenings across Canada, including a couple planned in Surrey, B.C., this weekend.

Satluj stars Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra, a Sikh human rights activist who investigated and raised concerns about extrajudicial killings and disappearances during Punjab's separatist insurgency in the 1980s and 90s.

Gurpreet Singh, an independent journalist and an author based in Delta, B.C., says that for about two to three years, India’s film censorship board, which must approve all cinematic releases, blocked the film from release.

When it was finally launched on a streaming platform earlier this month, it was taken down within 48 hours on government orders, which cited security concerns, according to local media.

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Singh says the takedown has outraged community members and only intensified interest among Sikhs around the world, including here in B.C.

“If the Indian government had allowed this movie to be shown, this kind of backlash wouldn’t have occurred in the first place,” he said.

Khalsa Schools of B.C. and Gurdwara Nanaksar in Surrey are both organizing screenings Saturday. Hundreds of people also attended a showing at a Brampton, Ont., gurdwara last week, while another screening is being organized in Edmonton.

Diljit Dosanjh’s film Satluj has been removed from ZEE5 two days after its release on the streaming platform. Directed by Honey Trehan, the film was earlier titled Punjab 95 and faced a long battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).https://t.co/jYcYlDMh55

Gurminder Kaur Malik, director of education at Khalsa Schools of B.C., said alumni, parents, students and other community members asked the school to show the nearly three-hour film.

“We have an auditorium that seats approximately 330 people,” she said. “From an educational standpoint, it’s really important for us to have discussions on all types of issues.”

Malik said the school hopes the screening encourages people to examine different perspectives and think critically about historical events.

Khalra’s connection to Canada

Khalra travelled to Canada in 1995 to draw attention to his findings before returning to India, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

The organization says it invited Khalra and arranged for him to address members of Parliament and Sikh community members in Ottawa.

His well-known “I challenge the darkness” speech, delivered during his Canadian visit, is depicted in the film.

In light of renewed interest in the life of Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra following the controversy surrounding the release of the film Satluj and its ban in India, we are sharing this look back at a historic moment from 1995.

In June 1995, WSO invited Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra to… pic.twitter.com/Fb9sz1nBLy

Malik said Khalra’s willingness to speak publicly at great personal risk is one reason his story remains relevant to younger generations.

“It raises goosebumps to listen to someone speak about challenging darkness,” she said. “All lives are important, justice is important, speaking up is important and advocacy is important even when things are difficult,”

Khalra was abducted outside his home shortly after his return from Ottawa and killed in September 1995. Six Indian police officials were later convicted and sentenced to life in prison for their role in the killing.

Last year, to honour the slain activist’s legacy, B.C. officially proclaimed Sept. 6 as Jaswant Singh Khalra Day.

Amrinder Singh, who is organizing the screening at Gurdwara Nanaksar, says he’s expecting around 400 people to show up at the screening Saturday.

“People … are talking about this film a lot … good things about the film that was based on true events,” he said.

Malik said people who are neither Punjabi nor Sikh have also asked to attend and have requested for a subtitled version, which she says she hasn’t been able to find.

“There’s a lot of interest and why not?” she said. “Human rights is a global issue. Advocacy is a global issue.”

The movie’s Canadian audience may also be helped by Dosanjh’s popularity, the educator added. The Punjabi artist sold out Vancouver’s Rogers Arena in 2022 and drew more than 50,000 people to a concert at B.C. Place concert earlier this year.

With files from Sohrab Sandhu, Meera Bains and The Early Edition