The most recent delay in Diljit Dosanjh's Panjab '95, which is based on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, comes after three years of delays.
The release of Punjab '95, the political thriller with Diljit Dosanjh in the major role, has encountered yet another obstacle in India. Based on the life and death of campaigner Jaswant Singh Khalra, the movie was scheduled for release worldwide in February. Diljit and other cast members, however, declared on Instagram on Monday that the movie will not be released as planned.
Postponed release of Punjab 95
"We are sorry, and it pains us to inform you that the movie Panjab '95 will not release on 7th February due to circumstances beyond our control," Diljit wrote in a brief post on Instagram Stories late Monday. In one of his other postings, the singer-actor also posted a photo of the late Khalra and a remark from him that said, "I pray to the Guru, who identified with truth, to keep this light lit."
Arjun Rampal, Suvinder Vicky, Varun Badola, and Geetika Vidya Ohlan are also featured in Honey Trehan's Panjab '95, which was produced by Ronnie Screwvala. Since it was submitted to the CBFC for certification, the movie has been enmeshed in controversy for nearly three years.
The title change and the 120 cuts
After the Ghalughara massacre, Punjab '95 was renamed Ghalughara and submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification in 2022. Nevertheless, the CBFC objected to the title and deleted 120 scenes from the movie. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the highest Sikh religious organization, finally stepped in, and the CBFC agreed to the cutbacks but requested that the title be altered. The movie was eventually retitled Punjab '95. The trailer for the movie was taken down from YouTube just a day after it was posted there that same year.
Diljit reposted a fresh trailer for the movie on Instagram in January. Without any changes, the movie was set to be released worldwide on February 7.But there was no news about a release in India.
The Toronto International Film Festival did not include Punjab '95.
A day prior to its scheduled international premiere at the esteemed Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023, the film was taken from the schedule. Given that Canada has the second-largest Sikh community in the world after India, Variety was informed by a source that "political forces at play" are behind the film's removal from Toronto. This was never confirmed or refuted by the festival organizers.
What is the purpose of Punjab '95?
Punjabi human rights campaigner Jaswant Singh Khalra opposed the Punjab Police's purportedly staged encounters with Sikh youths during militancy.Between 1984 and 1994, he looked into the mass burning of thousands of unidentified dead in Punjab.
He vanished inexplicably in 1995, and four police officers were detained in 2005 on suspicion of kidnapping and killing him. A contentious aspect of the state's delicate past is his life and death, especially the associations with militancy. His life has caused a stir in the state, and the movie claims to give a "honest" portrayal of it.
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