Honey Trehan’s Panjab ’95 has been in the eye of the storm since 2023, when it was scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Unfortunately, it was pulled out at the last minute. Produced by RSVP Movies and MacGuffin Pictures, it was called Ghalughara (Massacre) back then.
Based on the life of the Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, the film stars Diljit Singh Dosanjh in the lead with Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, Suvinder Vicky, Arjun Rampal and Kanwaljeet Singh in prominent roles. Khalra had been investigating the disappearances, abductions, shootouts, killings and covert cremations of ordinary people, allegedly carried out by the Punjab Police, as counter-terrorism operations, during the insurgency years. Khalra himself was later abducted and killed. Eventually, six Punjab Police officers were convicted and sentenced for the same.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had objected to the original title of the film, along with suggesting 127 cuts. Its release at home has been facing indefinite delay, and the international release, excluding India, slated for May 2025, was also prohibited. Trehan has been vocal against censorship even as he recently received the National award for best feature film in Malayalam for backing Christo Tomy’s Ullozhukku (Undercurrent) under his MacGuffin Pictures banner.
Excerpts:
From Udta Punjab to Panjab ’95, what has changed in the way censorship is being done?
It has become more political and agenda-driven. The people in power are using CBFC as a backdoor entry to control the narrative, the thinking of the filmmakers, and their freedom of speech and expression. They want you to make their kind of films, and not your own film.
So the critical issue then is not just the freedom of speech, but the freedom after it?
Our work is our freedom of speech. Let it come out. If anybody has a problem, they can go to the court. We'll follow what the court says. For my film, it started with 21 cuts and reached 127. There has to be some limit. It means they don’t want the film to come out. CBFC tells us to change the name of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the real-life person on whom our film is based. What they are asking is the deletion of the name of a martyr from our history. Jaswant Singh Khalra has been abducted once again; this time by the CBFC. The 127 cuts are not on the film but on the democracy of the country. You don't even have legitimate reasons for the cuts you suggest.
How absurd can the cuts get?
Varun Grover [lyricist, writer, stand-up comedian and filmmaker] explained it very well. There’s a cake in his film All India Rank in the shades of tiranga (Tricolour). But there’s no Ashok Chakra [to avoid reference to the national flag]. They objected to it, saying a cake can’t sport these colours. He then put up pictures of a shop in Varanasi where a barfi (sweet) in the shades of the Tricolour is available. These kinds of objections are beyond comprehension. Every film is facing cuts. It's the worst time in 22-23 years of my career in the film industry.
Why have things come to such a pass for the film industry?
Films hold a mirror to society. Film is a powerful medium, but they want to use it to serve their own agendas and for propaganda. They don't want this medium to be yours [filmmakers’] anymore. They are creating a parallel industry of their own within the film industry.
They are trying to stop even the private screenings of my film. Why can’t I have a private screening? I have the right to show the film to my friends, family, lawyers, and the concerned people for guidance on the injustice done. The CBFC certificate is required only for the commercial release of the film in the country. I am saying that if CBFC has a problem, I’ll not release the film in India. Then how can you stop my producer from releasing the film internationally? This is abusing power. Forcing my producer to withdraw the matter from the High Court is illegal. How can you take away someone’s constitutional right? CBFC is taking the Constitution in its hand. Where do we go for justice in this case?
What will the fallout of this be in the long run?
Artists and art are definitely in trouble. Somewhere, an unsaid, unspoken fear is there in filmmakers. If this is the way things go, then tomorrow they might even demand our scripts for approval. This idea has been discussed. There was a meeting that Paresh Rawal sir took me for, where Mr Anupam Kher, Mr Vivek Agnihotri were all there. One sarfira (crazy) filmmaker, whose name I don’t want to take, had proposed this idea. And you know who opposed this? Mr Vivek Agnihotri! He said it’s nonsense. This was about two years back.
It can go to any extent. If there is a big star, they might even mandate what he needs to wear in the key scenes or what he can say and do.
Every filmmaker seems to be fighting the battle alone. What are your organisations for? What is your producer's body, director's body, the scriptwriter's body for?
Nothing. They only talk about contracts and clauses. Where is everybody when the filmmaker is in trouble? Till Udta Punjab, they used to stand in solidarity. The majority of the industry came together back then. But in today's time, it’s not possible, because everybody is living in so much fear. But how long will this fear last? One day, the dam will burst.
So what’s the way forward?
To each their own. These kinds of things will make art and artists corrupt. They will figure out how to manipulate to still make their films and voice their concerns. Some viewers might understand them, others might not get it. Then it won’t remain pure art.
Is there no way out?
Perhaps when everybody gets affected, a united front will emerge to go all out and fight. At some point in time, you’ll have to say no to this. I am saying no individually. All the filmmakers who are facing this need to come out and stand by their films. We are filmmakers, not criminals.