Since your film's release on OTT, there have been significant developments relating to the Jaswant Singh Khalra legacy, including the Ardaas Performed by the Shri Akal Takht Sahib and plans to have the Shaheed Ganj memorial on Satluj. How do you view these developments?

I definitely see it's a great thing and it's a long due respect what Jaswant Singh Khalra is getting right now. And of course, I consider him one of the biggest martyrs of our time. I don't rate him any less than Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Mr. Khalra was also a great follower of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. I also somewhere feel: why there should be a film for a martyr to get due respect? Why did it take 31 years? But probably that's why the cinema is such a strong thing in today's time also. If you do it right, if you do it with the respect. So, I don't mind any kind of backlash. I don't care. What is the bigger picture? The bigger picture is that this film brought everybody together. It brought respect to our martyrs.

Do you think that your film succeeded in introducing Jaswant Singh Khalra's story and the issue of enforced disappearances to the audience beyond Punjab and the Sikh community, and to what extent?

I think it has reached a larger audience. Though it has reached an audience in a wrong way, but for that the establishment is responsible. They should have let the film be on OTT. Because in three days, in two, two and a half days of release, it had brought entire Punjab together. There wasn't any law and order situation. Everybody was watching the film with ease. On IMDb, it had reached the highest rating worldwide 9.7. It reached people through the pirated version. And as a filmmaker, I don't support piracy. No filmmaker wants his film to be watched in an illegal manner. But on the contrary, if the film was released in theaters or on OTT, it may not have reached such a large number of people the way it did. It ran in community centres, Gurdwaras and public places. Not only in Punjab, but Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, Pune, Bombay, London, New York, Canada, everywhere.

Why do you think a narrative was created that the film could incite violence or harm relations between communities?

I think that there are political reasons because politics is basically based on divide and rule, on casteism, on status, on those things. And the film probably brought the entire India together which is undigestible for certain politicians. That's why they spread hate. Jaswant Singh Khalra never said I'm only fighting for the Sikh community. He spoke about 25,000 undocumented dead bodies, not about Hindu and Sikh. He fought for those 25,000 dead bodies. He didn't even know who these people are. They were Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, men, wome, everybody was there. He never said I'm only fighting for the Sikh community. It's the politics of this country which put forward the wrong narrative.

You have said that your film has united Punjab and people beyond Punjab and that it has given a healing touch...

It has brought them together. There is a harmony, there is a love, there is a peace, and this film works for people in Punjab like the balm on their wounds. Satluj is a healing touch. You know, this is not something I'm saying. This is the people of Punjab who called me. They called me to say thank you and conveyed what this film means to them. I'm from Tarn Taran. But then you also know that most people think I'm a Bollywood filmmaker. Then also, those people are saying, "Somebody at least spoke about us. Somebody noticed our pain. Somebody realised what has happened to us". And that was their suppressed emotions after watching the film. When they cried, those tears were very important for them. There is a kind of relief. There is a kind of lightness there. So that's how the film kind of heals them.

But when the discussion opens up, all things come up. People who were affected by the political violence of the militants, kin of the Punjab police personnel killed in that era, how do they view your film?

I am talking about both the sides. In my film, my main character talks about militancy. Diljit's character, when he goes to Sugga to interrogate him, Sugga tells him categorically “ Hamari ik goli yanh kitni golion ke jwaab meh chalti hai yeh tujhe bahar se aa k ptah nahi lagega. Yeh vo log hain jo pakre nahi jate jo sirf maare jaate hain". Even on KPS Gill, politicians or people related to him are raising questions, not the audience. They are overlooking how I have already addressed this in the film, I have given the dialogue to Bitta (the character based on Gill) only: "I am the one who has removed militancy from Punjab. If I have blood on my hands, so do they”. He says this after the CM’s assassination. And the new CM says, "I know what you have done. You have done good. You now move on. Let the bureaucracy take over because we don't want this state to be a police state anymore." If people try to overlook these sequences, I cannot help it. As a filmmaker, my work needs to speak for itself.

Some critics argue that your movie questions the entire counter-insurgency campaign of the Punjab police. How do you respond to this criticism?

My film is based on legal documents, on testimony and the decision taken by the court of law. So whatever is being depicted, I'm not saying the people who did wrong, they have not done anything right in their life. But my film is not about their life. My film is about what happened to Jaswant Singh Khalra. I'm only depicting that truth. And I also tell you, it's a debate which cannot have any end. Every hero is a villain in someone's life, and every villain is a hero in someone's life. I'm not interested in blaming anybody because whatever my faith, whatever my beliefs are, I have made a film about it. And I'm not asking anybody to endorse my film. It's completely up to you. You want to watch it, you watch it. You don't want to watch it, don't watch it. You have your opinion, good for you. You don't have your opinion, good for you. Don't tell me. I'm not going to reply to your opinion. I also have gone to that extent that when people are calling it a propaganda film, I say 'Okay, this is a propaganda film. Let me have the release like other propaganda films release'.

Another criticism levelled against the film is that it shows the assassination of the former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Some critics argue that this glorifies political violence and isn't relevant to Mr Khalra's story. How do you respond to this?

No, I don't agree. The film isn’t a biopic of Jaswant Singh Khalra. It's about the world he belongs to. And, you know, we all are the part of we all are the reflection of the things happening around us. Beant Singh’s assassination is a part of this period. I'm telling the story this period through Jaswant Singh Khalra's lens. It’s a drama thriller about the events of two years in that period. It’s not a biopic. People need to learn to differentiate.

So as a filmmaker, how do you define a propaganda film?

See, propaganda films are made keeping in mind the demands and narrative of the regime ruling the country. The regime’s narrative, you set it out for the audience. So on a larger scale, that’s what’s happening. Everywhere, it is the Hindu-Muslim narrative. So then, I mean, you make a film on a Muslim and make the Hindu villain, can you make such a film and get it released in India? Propaganda films like 'The Kashmir Files', 'The Kerala Story' are based on a Hindu-Muslim narrative. These films have won multiple national awards. I'm saying for argument’s sake, okay, my film is also in that category. So then, let me release the film. Why is one kind of propaganda okay and another kind of propaganda is not okay? Why one propaganda gets a standing ovation in the Parliament, but this film cannot even be released on the OTT platform? Why is that? Because it doesn't suit their politics.

Gulzar's Maachis in 1996 was a movie dealing with the same subject...

Maachis, 1984, both the films have won National Awards. The regime was different. Those clearing the film, were more open to the subject.

Okay. Do you see filmmaking as political?

Every art is political. If art is not political, then it's not an art.

There is speculation about the timing of the surprise OTT release and its abrupt removal, especially with the Punjab elections approaching. How do you explain this?

I really don't know. For three-and-a-half years, the film was stopped on the pretext that this will create a law and order situation in Punjab. On the contrary, when the film came out on OTT and later through public screenings, it brought the entire Punjab together. There was unity of thousands of people at the Gurdwara no matter which caste they belong to, which status, which religion. They were all sitting together and watching the film. On the other hand, there are politicians who make hateful comments in speeches. I really want to know, who is trying to create law and order problems? Is the real threat from a film or from politicians who try to divide and rule?

So, you are saying that the timing of the release was coincidental?

It was entirely coincidental and it was not our call. I was approached by my producers and they said, "We are interested to release this film, but we have one condition that it should have a different name." So, I immediately agreed. I was like, "Okay, we have another title called Satluj". It has a great relevance to the film so I was very happy to put that as the title. My only condition was that there should not be any cuts. And my producer responded, "Don't worry about the cuts, we love your original film only." So, we went ahead and released the film. That's why we didn't make any announcement because a couple of times in the past, we had announced its release but it led to pressure being put on the producer. For digital, we don't need any CBFC certificate. For the theatrical release, they wanted us to make ridiculous cuts. But those cuts didn't make any sense to me or my producer. So, hence, we took this chance to release the film on OTT. Everything was clear under the law. There are people who said that CBFC gave 127 cuts and we bypassed CBFC. No. The CBFC gave us cuts. We didn't agree to those cuts. We went to court. The producer was pressurised to have an out-of-court settlement. That didn't work out because those 21 cuts were increased to 127.

You have used the Gurbani shabad and hymns in several scenes, including politically sensitive ones. Some critics argue that Gurbani should not be used in the scenes depicting violence. What's your response to this?

I have used the Gurbani very respectfully. I have tried to give more meaning to those scenes because there are certain phases of Gurbani which are very true to what is being shown. While researching and talking to Mr Khalra’s family, I learned how he used to make his children learn one line of the Gurbani every morning. He used to explain the meaning of that line and the children had to memorise it by the time they came back from school. So I thought I should respect his spirituality. And this is a part of our culture. I also showed the film to the SGPC and Akal Takht Sahib. They truly appreciated the way I have used the Gurbani. It's not only about the Gurbani. There is one sequence where you see Jaswant Singh Khalra come to the house of a Member of Parliament. He bows down in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. And as he bows down and the ‘Ang Palatna’ is taking place, like how we turn the page. This happens at a particular hour on that particular line. We had to time it in this way. I told Diljit he has to start the scene at a particular time because if Ang Palat takes place before the shot, then it will not be turned for the second time. And Diljit's faith was complete. "Baaji, Maharaj karange”, he said. And he did that. That shot was Diljit Paaji's first shot in the film. I always wanted the first shot to be him bowing down before the Guru Granth Sahib. In my mind, this is where the character’s journey starts. That was the first shot I took of the film.

Speaking of Diljit Dosanjh, everybody knows he's a global star and a successful actor. How do you find him as a person?

He's one of the greatest persons I have met in my life. I have met other great people also, but he's definitely one of the most spiritually connected persons and the most humble. And whenever I even speak to him, I always get to learn something from him. He has a pure heart. Diljit Dosanjh only has one organ and that is his pure heart.

What made you and Diljit Dosanjh keep trying to secure the release of the film?

Probably because we come from the same land and we both feel the same way about the events that took place. He played the character of Jaswant Singh Khalra with complete responsibility and honesty. He feels that emotion and felt the need for this character to come out. As an actor he tried his best to help this film have a larger reach. He’s still trying.

What about your producer, Mr Ronnie Screwvala, how did you convince him to invest in the project and put his faith in you?

Very interesting question. People should know how films are made. When a director has a story, he goes to the producer saying, "This is the film I want to make." If the producer likes it, he says, "Okay, this is exciting, write a film on this. Let's see how it plays out." Then you write the entire film. You narrate the entire film to the producer. One narration. Two narrations. Then if the producer is convinced, it’s not as if he immediately gives you the money. The script goes to a law firm associated with the production house. No producer is a fool to go ahead without having the script legally vetted. Once it's legally vetted, your conscience is also clear. We both knew throughout that legally we are in the right. We knew that when we went to the High Court, we would win. So, who were the people who tried to put pressure on the producer to withdraw the film from the High Court. Why? Why did my producer even get such calls when the matter is in court? Just because CBFC saw there is no way they can win this. That's when they started putting pressure and Ronnie had to do an out-of-court settlement on 21 cuts which was increased to 127.

So despite losses running into crores, your producer stood by you?

Absolutely. Two people Ronnie Screwvala and his team, that's the one unit. And the second person is Diljit. They have walked the extra mile for me and to save my film. And I feel absolutely, absolutely terrible to see my producer lose that kind of money on a film for no one's fault. He never held me responsible.

He never complained. I'll tell you another thing. He said, "Honey, this film will come out when it needs to come out. Why are you giving your 100% energy there? Make another film. I'm here to produce for you." My next film was also produced by Ronnie Screwvala. You’re bound to feel terrible. Such a nice guy, such a great producer, who is losing all the money he put on this film without anybody's fault. Neither he's standing on the wrong side of the history nor me. And why didn't this get a theatrical release? Just because of some silly political reason. They call this film a threat to the national security, a film which united Punjab and spread harmony. How can such a film be a threat to the national security? Then Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story, all these films which even had a wrong history attached to them cannot ever be a threat to national security. Only Satluj is a threat to the national security. We are such a great nation. We overcame so many problems. Why is a film or a poem considered a threat to national security?

The Khalra family has also been at the center of this entire episode. A lot of people earlier tried to make a film on Jaswant Singh Khalra's life. But it is only you who was able to get the family's consent. How did it happen? What was their reaction after the release?

Well, I had a couple of interactions with them. Actually, to be very honest, family would be the right people to answer this. But I think somewhere they saw whenever we spoke, that my heart is in the right place and I know what I'm trying to do. Trust is the only thing which can move you and move mountains.

Has this movie changed you as a person?

I am very proud of it. It has been a great learning in all aspects. And I am truly, truly blessed that God has taken this work from me. This is not like any other thing. I treat it like a Seva to my community, to humanity, to everything. This Seva came into our life and we feel truly, truly blessed.

Satluj starts with Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poem, "Gamaan Di Raat Lammi Hai Ja Mere Geet Lammi Ne". Why did you choose this? And we're told you are planning to make a biopic on Batalvi next...

I am in love with Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Anyone who has read Batalvi would know how ironic it is to hear cops recite his poetry. I took permission from his family to use this poem and gave credit too. Jaswant Singh Khalra and Shiv Kumar Batalvi are both very spiritual people. They are both legends of Punjab. They led two very different lives. But they have both inspired me in different ways. I'm blessed the way these families have supported me and trusted me with the life rights of these people. God has been kind to me by giving me these opportunities. It's my responsibility to Punjab to tell their stories. Regarding the film (on Batalvi), I have just started writing. I don't know if this will be my next film or the next to next because Shiv Kumar Batalvi is not a film which you just start and finish. This will take its own time because like Satluj, this film is again a responsibility rather than just a film.

'Why Did it Take 31 Years for Khalra to Get His Due?': Honey Trehan Interview

On 6 September 1995, human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted from his home in Amritsar allegedly by Punjab Police personnel. He was never found and was presumed killed. Three decades later, a film on how he exposed undocumented killings in Punjab, was blocked by the government's censor board. Even when it was released on an OTT platform, it had to be taken down due to government pressure.

On the anniversary of his abduction, we are publishing edited excerpts of an interview with director Honey Trehan, the director of Satluj, the film on Khalra. Here are edited excerpts from his conversation with senior Punjab-based journalist Gurshamshir Singh Warraich.

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'Why Did it Take 31 Years for Khalra to Get His Due?': Honey Trehan Interview

Director Honey Trehan discusses Jaswant Singh Khalra, censorship and political hypocrisy in an in-depth interview.

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Topics: Punjab Sikh Diljit Dosanjh