Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Filmmaker Anurag Basu, who last directed ‘Metro In Dino’, has voiced his support for director Honey Trehan, whose film ‘Satluj’ has been taken down from OTT.
On Monday, Anurag took to his X, formerly Twitter, and shared a note, as he wrote, “#Satluj I never thought a day would come when Honey Trehan would face what Jafar Panahi faced in Iran”.
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker, who has faced years of state censorship. He has been put under house arrest. Tehran’s Revolutionary Court has upheld a one-year prison sentence and a two-year travel ban against him.
‘Satluj’ has been taken down from OTT from public viewing over its sensitive content. Earlier, the OTT platform published an official statement on its Instagram handle, saying that although they have decided to ‘pause’ the drama in India, they ‘firmly stand by the film’.
They further informed that they have taken the decision keeping in view the “current developments”. Expressing their gratitude to the audience for an overwhelming response, the statement read, “The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming. We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a great deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life”.
Actor Ranvir Shorey also shared his sentiments on the film being pulled down, He wrote, “Utterly disappointing to hear ‘Satluj’ had been pulled! Have been waiting to watch it! For a land that has an ancient history and heritage of learning from stories, I don’t know why we keep emboldening a culture of burying them”.
The film, which was earlier titled ‘Punjab 95’, is based on the human rights violation by the Punjab police during their drive to neutralize the insurgency in the state.
The film is helmed by Honey Trehan, and presents an unflinching account of one man’s relentless pursuit of truth in the face of fear, power and silence. It is set during a time marked by conflict and unrest, and exposes the haunting reality of thousands of unexplained disappearances and the devastating human cost borne by families searching for justice.
Diljit essays the role inspired by the human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who fought for justice for the victims of police brutality, and was allegedly tortured and killed by the cops in order to suppress the truth.