{"id":5531,"date":"2026-07-10T06:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5531"},"modified":"2026-07-10T06:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:05:00","slug":"community-screenings-help-a-movie-set-during-an-indian-insurgency-bypass-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5531","title":{"rendered":"Community screenings help a movie set during an Indian insurgency bypass censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

GURDASPUR, India (AP) \u2014 As dusk settled over Gurdaspur\u2019s fields, villagers gathered in the courtyard of a Sikh temple to watch a movie that has been blocked by Indian officials.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSatluj\u201d tells the true tale of a human rights activist who investigated thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial killings during a government crackdown on a separatist insurgency in India\u2019s Punjab state in the 1980s and early 1990s. <\/p>\n

At the screening in Gurdaspur, elderly survivors of the insurgency sat beside teenagers born years after it ended. When the screen flickered to life and \u201cSatluj\u201d movie began, the crowd fell silent.<\/p>\n

Originally titled \u201cPunjab 95,\u201d the movie was stalled for three years after India\u2019s censor board demanded more than 120 cuts. After failing to secure a theatrical release, it debuted on the ZEE5 streaming platform last week, but was removed in India two days later.<\/p>\n

The takedown had an unintended consequence.<\/p>\n

Across villages in Punjab, Sikh organizations, local activists and residents have begun organizing community screenings using copies that have circulated online. The screenings have transformed Sikh temple compounds and village halls into makeshift cinemas where audiences watch not just a film but a retelling of memories of one of India\u2019s bloodiest internal conflicts.<\/p>\n

Spotlight on Punjab\u2019s insurgency<\/h3>\n

\u201cSatluj\u201d draws on the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings exposed one of the darkest episodes of Punjab\u2019s insurgency. The conflict pitted Sikh militant groups seeking an independent Khalistan against Indian security forces and claimed thousands of civilian, militant and police lives.<\/p>\n

During the insurgency, rights groups documented allegations of enforced disappearances, custodial killings and secret cremations. Khalra\u2019s investigation alleged that thousands of people who had disappeared were cremated anonymously by police without informing their families or maintaining official records.<\/p>\n

Khalra was abducted in 1995 and later killed. Several police officers were convicted in connection with his murder.<\/p>\n

Although the insurgency was crushed and support for Khalistan waned within Punjab, the Indian government continues to view separatist sentiment as a national security concern. It has not publicly explained why the film was removed, but officials told local media they ordered it taken down on security grounds.<\/p>\n

Local organized screenings<\/h3>\n

The public screenings take shape through grassroots cooperation. Residents arrange for projectors, audio speakers and power generators, Sikh temples and village community spaces become open-air theaters for an evening, and volunteers spread the word from one household to the next.<\/p>\n

Inderjeet Singh Bains, who helps coordinate screenings in Gurdaspur district, said the initiative aimed to create spaces where people can watch together and reflect on a period of Punjab\u2019s history that continues to resonate across generations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen we screen the film, we see our elders and mothers, many of them 60 or 70 years old, crying because they have lost their sons. Our people have endured immense suffering,\u201d Bains said.<\/p>\n

Gurmukh Singh, who attended a screening, said the film gave voice to stories the young in Punjab had heard only in fragments. For families in his village, he said, the insurgency was not history but lived experience, with many losing loved ones in the violence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter watching the movie, there is a feeling of the grief our earlier generations had to bear,\u201d Singh said.<\/p>\n

Movie fuels censorship debate<\/h3>\n

The takedown of \u201cSatluj\u201d has reopened a debate over artistic freedom in India, where films have increasingly run into censorship battles under Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Hindu nationalist government. Critics have said such cases have become more frequent and accuse Modi\u2019s government of promoting films that align with its nationalist narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything happened right before our eyes, so what is there to oppose? The truth is coming to light, and people should be allowed to see it,\u201d said Balwinder Singh, a Sikh religious leader. <\/p>\n

The government says movie certification decisions are made independently under the law.<\/p>\n

In a statement, ZEE5 said the film would no longer be available for viewing in India \u201cin light of current developments.\u201d It added that it would explore \u201cevery appropriate avenue through due process\u201d to restore it.<\/p>\n

Audiences revisit painful memories<\/h3>\n

Diljit Dosanjh, the lead actor who plays Khalra, said he was unconcerned about whether the film remained online because once audiences had seen it, \u201cit cannot be erased.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sentiment appears to be playing out in Punjab\u2019s villages.<\/p>\n

Inside the temple compound in Gurdaspur, the audience watched scenes of police killings, crackdowns and families searching for answers. Afterwards, many lingered in conversation, comparing the film with the real-life memories they had carried for decades.<\/p>\n

Pawan Deep Kaur described the film as a heartbreaking portrayal of the suffering endured by the older generation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt made us cry endlessly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Saaliq reported from New Delhi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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