The teaser for Diljit Dosnajh’s upcoming theatrical release ‘Punjab ‘95’ is out and displays a heart wrenching tale of police torture and a man who fought relentlessly for justice. Helmed by Honey Trehan, ‘Punjab ‘95’ has had a tumultuous history and the woes still continue.
‘Punjab ‘95’ is a film that tells a compelling story based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Post operation Blue Star wherein the then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi ordered an operation against the militants in Golden Temple, Amritsar and her assassination by her Sikh bodyguard in the same year, anti-Sikh riots had erupted across northern India.
This was followed by a multitude of police tortures and killings. Khalra investigated such cases and found cremations of 1000s of such unidentified bodies in Punjab. In 1995, he shockingly disappeared and later in 2005 six policemen were arrested for his kidnap and murder.
‘Punjab ‘95’ has been ready for release for a long time now but has faced multiple hurdles due to its possibly incendiary theme. The film was removed from the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 lineup, which was possibly done by the filmmaking team itself.
But the real trouble started when the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India reportedly suggested around 120 cuts along with a change in the name (the film was originally titled ‘Ghallughara’, a historic term used to refer to the massacre of Sikhs in 1746, 1762 and 1984.).
All this happened in 2022 and it’s only now that ‘Punjab ‘95’ is releasing in cinemas on 7th February, 2025. This release date is only for international release where the full film will be available without any cuts. Unfortunately, the film is yet to find its way to the Indian theatres.
Just a couple of days ago, we saw Oscar short listed film ‘Santosh’ facing a hold up by CBFC and now ‘Punjab ‘95’ is facing something similar. It’s pretty unfortunate to see such insecurity and censorship that hinders the cinematic liberty in the country.
ਪੰਜਾਬ ‘95
Releases in Cinemas internationally only on 7th February
Full Movie, No Cuts pic.twitter.com/jtvLVliloB
— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) January 17, 2025
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
