Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj had barely been up for two days on ZEE5 before it was pulled from India, and the people behind it are clearly shaken.

The streaming platform made the announcement on Sunday, saying in a statement: "In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity."

ZEE5 also posted on X, backing the film fully. "At ZEE5, we stand firmly by Satluj and the creative vision behind it. We believe powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact," the platform said, adding that its "commitment to creators and to stories told with conviction, artistic integrity and purpose remains unwavering."

Director Honey Trehan found out about it the hard way. "I got to know about the removal of Satluj from ZEE5 in India at around 8.15 pm on Sunday. I am at a loss right now. I don't know how to react to this development," he told The Indian Express.

The film is still available internationally through ZEE5 Global, just not in India.

What makes this even more striking is that Diljit himself had seen this coming. During a live interaction on social media before the pulldown, he told viewers, "There was a fear that it could be removed. I think you might have downloaded the movie by now. So, now there is no fear."

This isn't the first time Satluj, originally titled Punjab 95, has run into trouble. 

The film was submitted to the CBFC back in 2022, after which the board reportedly demanded up to 127 cuts and a title change. That was challenged in the Bombay High Court, then eventually withdrawn. 

In 2023, a planned premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival was also pulled at the last minute.

After three years stuck in limbo, the makers decided to skip theatres altogether and go straight to OTT, with no cuts.

Directed by Trehan and produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP alongside MacGuffin Pictures, Satluj is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.