The much-awaited Punjabi film ‘Punjab ’95’, whose lead is Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh as late Sikh human rights campaigner Jaswant Singh Khalra, is again embroiled in delays and disagreements despite massive expectations.
Originally titled ‘Ghalughara’, which translates to “massacre,” the film encountered initial opposition from India’s Censor Board. Several factions resisted it because of the controversial nature of its subject matter.
What followed was a turbulent back-and-forth, title changes, over 100 cuts demanded, and a resubmission process. That led to the eventual renaming of the film to ‘Punjab ’95’. But even with a new name, the controversy hasn’t ended.
The movie is based on the true story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a bank officer who became a human rights activist in Punjab in the 1990s. With his research, Khalra revealed the horrific detail about more than 25,000 supposed illegal killings and cremations of suspects by the Punjab police at the peak of militancy.
Of these victims, it’s estimated close to 2,000 police officers were themselves killed for not being willing to be party to the cover-up.
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Khalra himself met a tragic end. In September 1995, he went missing while washing his car outside his house in Amritsar. Years after that, six policemen were found guilty of abducting and killing him.
‘Honey Trehan’s ‘Punjab ’95’, produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, features Diljit Dosanjh in the title role. Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky appear in supporting roles.
The film has had an unprecedented turbulent ride. It was going to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023. But it mysteriously withdrew from the festival line-up at the last minute.
Recently, its trailer dropped on YouTube, only to be removed within 24 hours in India. It again generated new buzz around the censorship of politically charged films.
Although the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) subsequently intervened on behalf of the film and was reportedly instrumental in guaranteeing that it would be released uncut, the release date has been postponed indefinitely.
Originally set for February 2025, the fate of ‘Punjab ’95’, the release date of the film still remains unclear.
In the meantime, Diljit Dosanjh is making headlines for ‘Sardaar Ji 3’.