GURDASPUR, India (AP) 鈥� As dusk settled over Gurdaspur’s fields, villagers gathered in the courtyard of a Sikh temple to watch a movie that has been blocked by Indian officials.
鈥淪atluj鈥� 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’s Punjab state in the 1980s and early 1990s.
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 鈥淪atluj鈥� movie began, the crowd fell silent.
Originally titled 鈥淧unjab 95,鈥� the movie was stalled for three years after India鈥檚 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.
The takedown had an unintended consequence.
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鈥檚 bloodiest internal conflicts.
Spotlight on Punjab鈥檚 insurgency
鈥淪atluj鈥� draws on the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings exposed one of the darkest episodes of Punjab鈥檚 insurgency. The conflict pitted Sikh militant groups seeking against Indian security forces and claimed thousands of civilian, militant and police lives.
During the insurgency, rights groups documented allegations of enforced disappearances, custodial killings and secret cremations. Khalra鈥檚 investigation alleged that thousands of people who had disappeared were cremated anonymously by police without informing their families or maintaining official records.
Khalra was abducted in 1995 and later killed. Several police officers were convicted in connection with his murder.
Although the insurgency was crushed and support for Khalistan waned within Punjab, the Indian government continues to view separatist sentiment as a It has not publicly explained why the film was removed, but officials told local media they ordered it taken down on security grounds.
Local organized screenings
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.
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鈥檚 history that continues to resonate across generations.
鈥淲hen 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,鈥� Bains said.
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.
鈥淎fter watching the movie, there is a feeling of the grief our earlier generations had to bear,鈥� Singh said.
Movie fuels censorship debate
The takedown of 鈥淪atluj鈥� has reopened a debate over artistic freedom in India, where films have increasingly run into censorship battles under Prime Minister Critics have said such cases have become more frequent and accuse Modi鈥檚 government of
鈥淓verything 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,鈥� said Balwinder Singh, a Sikh religious leader.
The government says movie certification decisions are made independently under the law.
In a statement, ZEE5 said the film would no longer be available for viewing in India 鈥渋n light of current developments.鈥� It added that it would explore 鈥渆very appropriate avenue through due process鈥� to restore it.
Audiences revisit painful memories
Diljit Dosanjh, the lead actor who plays Khalra, said he was unconcerned about whether the film remained online because once audiences had seen it, 鈥渋t cannot be erased.鈥�
That sentiment appears to be playing out in Punjab鈥檚 villages.
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.
Pawan Deep Kaur described the film as a heartbreaking portrayal of the suffering endured by the older generation.
鈥淚t made us cry endlessly,鈥� she said.
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Saaliq reported from New Delhi.
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