Diljit Dosanjh has once again ignited social media with a fresh poster from his long-delayed film ‘Panjab 95’. The image, showing him hanging with his hands tied, quickly made the rounds online, leaving fans both intrigued and concerned.
But behind the intense visuals lies a real-life struggle; one that’s happening not just in the film’s plot but also behind the scenes.
‘Panjab 95’, directed by Honey Trehan, is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who famously exposed secret killings in Punjab during the 1990s.
Since its announcement, the film has faced serious hurdles with India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The reason? Its sensitive subject matter.
Originally slated to release in 2022, the film has been stuck in censorship limbo for more than two years. In December 2022, the CBFC reportedly demanded a staggering 127 cuts.
Also Read: Jaswant Singh Khalra back to spotlight through ‘Panjab ’95’ starring Diljit Dosanjh, but will it release?
Director Honey Trehan recently told NDTV that if he agreed to all the suggested changes, there would barely be a film left. “If I make the 127 cuts, only the trailer will remain,” he said bluntly.
One of the more baffling requests, according to Trehan, was to remove the word ‘Punjab’ from the title, even though the film is entirely in Punjab.
“Why would any sensible person remove ‘Punjab’ from the title? The whole story revolves around Punjab, the characters are Punjabi, the cops in the film are wearing turbans,” he questioned.
Trehan also shared that the board asked him to avoid mentioning political figures like Indira Gandhi. “There’s a film called ‘Emergency’ about her entire life. But I can’t have one character in my film even take her name? How is that fair?” he asked.
Despite these roadblocks, Diljit Dosanjh has continued to build anticipation for ‘Punjab 95’. On January 23, he hinted at the film’s release in a Punjabi post, promising that “the truth will come out soon.”
Meanwhile, Dosanjh is also juggling other projects. He is currently shooting for ‘Border 2’ alongside Varun Dhawan and Ahaan Shetty.
Trehan, too, has stood his ground. He openly stated that he would rather remove his name from the project than let it reduce to a hollow version of itself. “I understand the pressure on producers to agree to the cuts, but at that point, it won’t be my film anymore,” he said.