Our Bureau
Mumbai
After the whole fiasco of his new movie Sardaarji 3 facing backlash from the audience and getting banned, another one of Diljit Dosanjh’s movies that is having trouble releasing has come to limelight. Punjab 95, directed by Honey Trehan, starring Dosanjh has been facing constant hurdles ever since it was submitted to the CBFC in December 2022.
Director Honey Trehan was recently in an interview where he talked about how his movie is stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification for more than 2.5 years. The makers are yet to receive a release date for the film as CBFC has asked for 127 cuts in the film, but there has been no further word from the board on that.
Trehran also spoke about how he thinks the censor board has been given some extra powers and these powers are at times misused to an extent which harms the filmmakers and their project. The director stated in clear words, “CBFC has also been given extra powers which are misused.”
Following the orders of CBFC to make 127 cuts both Diljit Dosanjh and Honey Trehran have decided not to associate their names with the movie if the cuts are being made. The director said, “It’s not my film then, it’s CBFC’s film.”
Trehan stated that if he does not stand firm in this matter he has no right to make movies on such topics. If he doesn’t stand with a guy like Jaswant Singh Khalra on whom this movie is made then there is no point in making such a movie.
The director said, “We have to stand by our conscience. If I do not stand by myself, I have no right to make a movie on such a matter. Jaswant Singh Khalra, Punjab ’95 is about his life, he fought for 25,000 unclaimed bodies, and extrajudicial killings of people. Without knowing who those people are. I have made a film on that guy’s life. And I cannot even stand by that person. Then what’s the point?”
Punjab 95 is a biographical drama that is a story about human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Khalra played a crucial role in investigating and exposing extrajudicial killings during the Punjab militancy era.
