The intense controversy surrounding director Honey Trehan’s biographical drama Satluj has taken yet another dramatic turn as the film’s user rating mysteriously vanished from IMDb. Starring Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal, and Suvinder Vicky, the film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and had briefly debuted on the streaming platform ZEE5 after a grueling four-year battle with the censor board. Prior to this latest digital setback, the hard-hitting film had achieved an exceptionally high rating of 9.5 out of 10, making it one of the top-rated Indian cinematic projects on the global database. However, netizens quickly noticed that the stellar score had completely disappeared from the portal, even as user reviews and scores for other contemporary theatrical and digital releases continued to remain fully visible online. This sudden elimination of the film’s public reception score has sent shockwaves through the Indian entertainment fraternity, igniting a heated conversation regarding transparency and digital censorship.
Reacting to this unexpected development, the film’s co-writer, Niren Bhatt, expressed absolute bewilderment over how the project is being handled across digital mediums. In a candid interaction, the acclaimed screenwriter stated that the entire creative team has been left completely in the dark, noting that they had no prior information regarding when the movie would officially stream or when it would be abruptly pulled down from the platform. Commenting directly on the vanishing IMDb score, Bhatt admitted that he has no clue who had an issue with the high rating or why it was targeted, emphasizing that there has been an absolute lack of official communication from any authorities. He further lamented that the production has faced systematic stonewalling for years, pointing out that a similar silence had persisted with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and now continues with streaming partners, leaving the creators unable to engage in a fair dialogue.
The sudden removal of the 9.5 rating also drew a sharp and highly critical response from veteran Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Gupta. Taking to his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, the director shared a screenshot of the platform’s page and launched a scathing attack on the credibility of the database. Gupta pointed out that the biographical film was holding an incredible score just a day prior and completely vanished the next, stating that while he has never personally placed his trust in online user aggregates, this specific incident proves how completely bogus and unreliable such rating platforms truly are. The director’s blunt public statement quickly resonated with film industry insiders and movie buffs, who are increasingly questioning the sudden disappearances of artistic content and digital footprints without valid explanations.
The current digital erasures come on the heels of the movie being forcefully taken down from ZEE5 India within just forty-eight hours of its release due to sudden intervention over security concerns and regulatory guidelines. Originally titled Punjab ’95, the narrative extensively chronicles the real-life investigations of Khalra into extrajudicial disappearances during a highly turbulent decade in Punjab. Despite the official ban on the streaming application in India, the movie continues to find a massive audience through international feeds and widespread piracy channels, while political outfits and local organizations have reportedly begun organizing public screenings at various village grounds across Punjab. As the makers look to challenge the abrupt takedowns legally in court, the vanishing IMDb score stands as a fresh symbol of the uphill battle independent and socially conscious cinema continues to face in the modern digital landscape.
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