Singer Jasbir Jassi has come out in strong support of Diljit Dosanjh and the team behind ‘Satluj’. He praised the film for portraying the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, calling it an important story that deserved to be told.
Satluj is a biographical drama directed by Honey Trehan. The film is based on the real life story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, and it stars Diljit Dosanjh alongside Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.
Also Read: Explained: ‘Satluj’ pulled from Zee5, here’s everything that led to this moment for the Diljit Dosanjh film
Jasbir Jassi shares support in a video
Jasbir Jassi, known for the popular song Dil Le Gayee, shared a video of himself speaking in Punjabi about the film. He said it took immense courage to bring Khalra’s story to the screen. He added that sometimes people are simply afraid of the truth, and urged everyone to stand by truth and humanity.
Also, he explained that since the day Satluj released, originally made under the title Punjab 95, many people from the media had reached out to him to speak about the film, since it had become a major topic of discussion. He said he could not recall any older film generating this much conversation.
Praising the filmmakers
Jassi began by congratulating director Honey Trehan directly. He said Trehan chose this particular topic, Khalra Sahib’s story, for the benefit of Punjab and for the benefit of humanity as a whole. He said this decision deserved recognition and congratulated him for it.
Also, he said that making a film like this requires a great deal of courage. He then turned his praise toward Diljit Dosanjh, congratulating him for accepting the role and portraying it.
According to Jassi, the film was made for the benefit of Punjab and represented the truth of Punjab’s history. He said people who speak the truth and walk that path carry a duty to share it with others. He congratulated everyone involved in the project once again for taking on this responsibility.
Addressing critics of the film
Jassi then turned his attention to people who have spoken against Punjab in the past and continue to do so. He said this particular topic is not something that people should be against, even if it remains a sensitive or controversial subject. He described it as a topic rooted in humanity itself, calling it something unique.
The singer spoke about the sacrifice Khalra made, saying that when a person leaves his family for the service of humanity, sets aside his work, and ultimately gives his life for others, that person becomes a hero of his time. He said he understood that people may not want to discuss Punjabi films in general, but expressed frustration that even a story like this was facing resistance.
Jasbir Jassi said some people appear to want to go even further than what Khalra did, and questioned why they show no hesitation in doing so. He said such people should feel some sense of shame, or at the very least, show respect for humanity. He said Trehan had spoken about a true hero through this film, and once again addressed him directly with appreciation.
Questioning the film’s removal
Jassi said he does not understand the reason behind the film’s removal. He asked why the streaming platform took it down. And, he repeated his belief that people are sometimes afraid of the truth, adding that speaking the truth, recognising the truth, and standing by the truth are all genuinely difficult things to do.
He said that standing with Punjab, as Trehan did through this film, deserved real appreciation. He thanked him once again for taking that stand.
Jassi mentioned that he is currently in America. He said that wherever he goes and whoever he meets, people are talking about this film. He said their Guru has taught them to stand with the truth, to stand for Punjab, and reminded viewers that Punjab stands with the whole world, and that people should stand with Punjab in return.