“From History to Cinema: Punjab 95 and the Power of Biopics”

ਪੰਜਾਬ ‘95

Teaser Coming Out on 17th of January 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/3ScyEZtDBI

— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) January 15, 2025

An upcoming biographical film called “Punjab 95” will star Diljit Dosanjh and be produced by RSVP Movies, which is run by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by Honey Trehan. The video follows Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra as he looked into the killings and disappearances of Sikh youths during the 1984–1994 Punjab insurgency. After Khalra vanished in September 1995, six Punjabi police officers were found guilty of his murder ten years later.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India has presented the movie with numerous difficulties. The CBFC first proposed 85 reductions in staff, which were ultimately raised to about 120. Renaming the main character, changing the title of the movie from Punjab 95 to Sutlej, and eliminating all references to Punjab, the Tarn Taran district, the national flag, and Canada or the UK were some of the significant alterations that were sought. A scene with Gurbani was also requested to be taken out. Regarding these changes, the filmmakers and the CBFC have been in communication.

Diljit Dosanjh declared that “Punjab ’95” will be released in February 2025 in spite of these obstacles. It’s unknown, though, if the movie will debut on an OTT platform or in theaters. Without a formal announcement from the festival’s organizers, the movie was taken out of the schedule for its September 2023 world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky play important parts in “Punjab ’95” as well.