"After four years of its director Honey Trehan navigating censorship and legal hurdles with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Satluj was finally released on ZEE5. It appeared destined to follow the familiar journey of every modern film – watched on mobile phones, televisions and laptops, one viewer at a time. But within days of its release, the film was removed from the streaming platform. Even its IMDb rating of 9.6/10 was taken down.

In an era dominated by OTT platforms and personalised viewing, Punjab’s villages and open fields became Satluj’s biggest screens. Across the state, large LED screens and projectors began appearing in village squares, gurdwara complexes, schools and community spaces. Instead of being watched individually inside homes, Satluj brought entire villages together, watching the film as a shared community experience. According to organisers interviewed for this story, most screenings drew between 300 and 400 people, while several attracted well over 500. The film’s digital release transformed into a community-led movement, with local volunteers arranging projectors, sound systems, tents, seating and logistics entirely on their own.

The screenings introduced younger generations to Khalra’s life and work and created conversations about an episode in Punjab’s history that had long remained confined to courtrooms, books and human rights documentation."

Source: TheWire

Link to the original article: [https://thewire.in/film/satluj-was-taken-down-from-ott-but-punjabis-have-brought-it-to-their-villages](https://thewire.in/film/satluj-was-taken-down-from-ott-but-punjabis-have-brought-it-to-their-villages)



Satluj Was Taken Down From OTT, But Punjabis Have Brought It to Their Villages And Beyond