Satluj is a Hindi film starring Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky (who played Arjun’s father in Dhurandhar The Revenge and also played a crucial role in Kohrra). It was earlier titled Punjab ’95 and was stuck at the Censors for more than a year. At one point, the CBFC asked for 127 CUTS in this film. The film has now been released on Zee5 with a new title all of a sudden and without prior intimation. The film has definitely suffered cuts, but it still packs a punch. It tells the story of Jaswant Singh, who found out how the Punjab Police had been killing people, cremating them, and passing their bodies off as ‘unclaimed’. The makers keep the narrative simplistic and hard-hitting. The gravity of the situation hits viewers in the intended manner. The investigation in the second half is also worthwhile. The climax is very chilling, as are the texts mentioned in the end slate. On the flipside, the film could have been shorter and a little more information could have been provided on Jaswant’s activism. The change of title is a downer; it doesn’t suit the film at all. Diljit Dosanjh is terrific, as expected and he does full justice to an iconic character. Suvinder Vicky, who’s on a roll, is aptly cast. Arjun Rampal has a late entry but makes up for it with his superb act. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan (Pammi), Saurabh Sachdeva (Satnam), Vansh Bhardwaj (Inspector Shivender Singh), Jagjeet Sandhu (SPO Kuljit Singh), Kanwaljit Singh (DGP Bitta), Nasser (DGP S V Varma) and others also perform very well. All in all, Satluj is a must-watch film. Don’t miss!
My rating – **** out of 5!