Diljit Dosanjh Breaks Silence On Punjab 95 Release Controversy, Says Movie Will Not Hit Theatres In February: We Are Sorry...

Diljit Dosanjh was looking forward to the release of his much-delayed movie Punjan '95, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The movie was supposed to hit the theatres in early February after over a year-long delay due to issues with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). However, it seems the struggle is not over, as the actor has again announced that the movie will no longer be released on February 7.

Punjab '95 will not see the light of the day AGAIN

Taking to Instagram, Diljit shared a post on his Stories that reads, "We are very sorry and it pains us to inform you that the movie Punjab '95 will not release on 7th February due to circumstances beyond our control."

Punjab '95 controversy

The movie faced several roadblocks, starting with CBFC. The board had proposed 120 cuts in the film to the makers. There was no certainty over the exhibition of the film given its sensitive subject matter. The movie highlights the harrowing story of extrajudicial killings of Sikh youth by the Punjab Police in the 1990s and the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots.

However, a week ago, Diljit announced the release of the trailer reassuring his fans that the full movie without any cuts will be released. "Punjab ’95 releases in Cinemas Internationally only on 7th February. P.S. Full Movie, No Cuts. #ChallengetheDarkness," read the caption. However, hours after the release, the movie was subsequently removed from YouTube in India, with users receiving a message reading, “The uploader has not made this video available in your country."

What do we know about Punjab '95?

Jaswant Singh Khalra was the director of a bank in the city of Amritsar in Punjab during the militancy period in Punjab. Following Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots, the police were empowered to detain suspects for any reason, ostensibly as suspected terrorists.

The police were accused of killing unarmed suspects in staged shootouts and burning thousands of dead bodies to cover up the murders. Khalra was investigating four major cases at one time and continued to collect evidence and witnesses.