Honey Trehan and Diljit Dosanjh’s Punjab 95, which was eventually released on OTT as Satluj after a long battle with the censor board, was taken down from the platform soon after its release. Before it was removed, actor Arjun Rampal, who played a pivotal role in the film, spoke about his experience of working on the project and shared several anecdotes.
Recalling his first reaction to being offered the film, Rampal said, “Goosebumps, literally goosebumps, to be part of such an important story. Where the reality has been brushed under the carpet for decades. This is a film with a very strong message. What happens when power is given to authority and misused. The huge sacrifice made by Jaswant Singh Khalra and his family. The suffering of innocents in Punjab. The hope that my character Samudra Singh brings, belonging to the CBI. It’s a story that evokes and questions accountability.”
Honey Trehan’s film is inspired by the life of Punjab human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. It is the deeply affecting account of one man’s relentless pursuit of truth in the face of overwhelming institutional power. While Diljit played the titular character, Rampal played Additional Director of the CBI Samudra Singh, who arrives to investigate Jaswant’s disappearance.
Speaking about shooting at real locations, including police stations and sites closely tied to the story, Rampal added, “Honey created the world perfectly, with Mohanan who captures the gloom of that time beautifully through his lens. The costumes, the art direction, the real locations brought back to life that period and made me remember so many elements like the curtains, phones, furniture, tablecloths that were used. They made me remember the 80s and 90s I had witnessed.”
Asked if he had the opportunity to interact with families who had lived through similar experiences, the actor continued, “The first day I got to Chandigarh, Honey had Jaswant Singh’s immediate family there to meet us. We also met lot of families who were witness to this tragedy. They all had hope that this important story with an important message will reach the world. Not from a sympathetic space, but from a space where we don’t repeat or make such mistakes.”
He also shared that hours of discussions with Honey Trehan shaped his understanding of the film’s purpose. “There were many hours of discussions we had; there were times we just sat in silence absorbing the information. Honey has seen this world close up. This film is very personal to him. He is a very sensitive and real filmmaker. It was important that whoever he cast in whichever part was real and never pretentious. So we read the scenes, time and time again. As Samudra is the narrator, we see the film through his eyes. To get that pitch right was critical.”
Talking about a scene that stayed with him, Arjun Rampal concluded, “Don’t want to give spoilers, but Diljit as Jaswant Singh when he comes in a dream is heartbreaking.”
Also Read: Diljit Dosanjh on Satluj Being Removed From OTT
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