Community screenings help a movie set during an Indian insurgency bypass censorship

Community screenings help a movie set during an Indian insurgency bypass censorship 1 of 5 | Villagers watch a special screening of the film “Satluj” at a Sikh temple at Tatley village, in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, India, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill) 2 of 5 | Villagers watch a special screening of the film “Satluj” at a Sikh temple at Tatley village, in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, India, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill) 3 of 5 | Villagers watch a special screening of the film “Satluj” at a Sikh temple in Tatley village, in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, India, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill) 4 of 5 | Inderjeet Singh Bains, who coordinated screening of the film “Satluj” talks to The Associated Press at a Sikh temple at Tatley village, in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, India, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill) 5 of 5 | Villagers watch a special screening of the film “Satluj” at a Sikh temple at Tatley village, in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, India, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill) By SHEIKH SAALIQ and PRABHJOT GILL Updated 7:16 AM MESZ, July 10, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Gurdaspur, India (AP) — As dusk settled over Gurdaspur’s fields, villagers gathered in the courtyard of a Sikh temple to watch a movie that has been blocked by Indian officials. “Satluj” tells the true tale of a human rights activist who investigated thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial killings during a government crackdown on a separatist insurgency in India’s Punjab state in the 1980s and early 1990s. At the screening in Gurdaspur, elderly survivors of the insurgency sat beside teenagers born years after it ended. When the screen flickered to life and “Satluj” movie began, the crowd fell silent. Originally titled “Punjab-95" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="162623" data-entity-type="event">Punjab 95,” the movie was stalled for three years after India’s censor board demanded more than 120 cuts. After failing to secure a theatrical release, it debuted on the ZEE5 streaming platform last week, but was removed in India two days later. Across villages in Punjab, Sikh organizations, local activists and residents have begun organizing community screenings using copies that have circulated online. The screenings have transformed Sikh temple compounds and village halls into makeshift cinemas where audiences watch not just a film but a retelling of memories of one of India’s bloodiest internal conflicts. “Satluj” draws on the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings exposed one of the darkest episodes of Punjab’s insurgency. The conflict pitted Sikh militant groups seeking an independent Khalistan against Indian security forces and claimed thousands of civilian, militant and police lives. Charges filed against Indian crime boss in assassination that strained Canada-India ties 1 MIN READ India’s Modi and Japan’s Takaichi expand defense and economic security ties 3 MIN READ India’s Cockroach Party supporters bang plates to call for education minister’s resignation 3 MIN READ During the insurgency, rights groups documented allegations of enforced disappearances, custodial killings and secret cremations. Khalra’s investigation alleged that thousands of people who had disappeared were cremated anonymously by police without informing their families or maintaining official records. Khalra was abducted in 1995 and later killed. Several police officers were convicted in connection with his murder. Although the insurgency was crushed and support for Khalistan waned within Punjab, the Indian government continues to view separatist sentiment as a national security concern. It has not publicly explained why the film was removed, but officials told local media they ordered it taken down on security grounds. The public screenings take shape through grassroots cooperation. Residents arrange for projectors, audio speakers and power generators, Sikh temples and village community spaces become open-air theaters for an evening, and volunteers spread the word from one household to the next. Inderjeet Singh Bains, who helps coordinate screenings in Gurdaspur district, said the initiative aimed to create spaces where people can watch together and reflect on a period of Punjab’s history that continues to resonate across generations. “When we screen the film, we see our elders and mothers, many of them 60 or 70 years old, crying because they have lost their sons. Our people have endured immense suffering,” Bains said. Gurmukh Singh, who attended a screening, said the film gave voice to stories the young in Punjab had heard only in fragments. For families in his village, he said, the insurgency was not history but lived experience, with many losing loved ones in the violence. “After watching the movie, there is a feeling of the grief our earlier generations had to bear,” Singh said. The takedown of “Satluj” has reopened a debate over artistic freedom in India, where films have increasingly run into censorship battles under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. Critics have said such cases have become more frequent and accuse Modi’s government of promoting films that align with its nationalist narrative. “Everything happened right before our eyes, so what is there to oppose? The truth is coming to light, and people should be allowed to see it,” said Balwinder Singh, a Sikh religious leader. The government says movie certification decisions are made independently under the law. In a statement, ZEE5 said the film would no longer be available for viewing in India “in light of current developments.” It added that it would explore “every appropriate avenue through due process” to restore it. Diljit Dosanjh, the lead actor who plays Khalra, said he was unconcerned about whether the film remained online because once audiences had seen it, “it cannot be erased.” That sentiment appears to be playing out in Punjab’s villages. Inside the temple compound in Gurdaspur, the audience watched scenes of police killings, crackdowns and families searching for answers. Afterwards, many lingered in conversation, comparing the film with the real-life memories they had carried for decades. Pawan Deep Kaur described the film as a heartbreaking portrayal of the suffering endured by the older generation. SHEIKH SAALIQ Saaliq is the South Asia correspondent for The Associated Press, based in New Delhi. He reports on India and the wider South Asia region, with a focus on politics, democracy, conflict and religion. twitter mailto