A three-year wait for Honey Trehan’s historical drama ‘Punjab ’95’, starring Diljit Dosanjh as human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, might finally be coming to an end. While the film remains unreleased in India, Retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge and noted human rights activist Justice Ranjit Singh has urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to allow the film’s release without any cuts, stressing its ‘factual accuracy and historical significance’.As per a report on News 18, Justice Singh, who was recently appointed chairman of the reconstituted Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), said the evidence of the film’s depiction of Khalra’s custodial killing is documented in judicial findings. Calling the narrative “very close to reality,” he said the events shown were not merely allegations but “facts that required to be told.”He went on to add, “I see no objection to any part of the film. What it shows is real and supported by material already on record. In my view, Punjab ’95 must be released without any cuts.”The film’s director Trehan also criticised objections raised by the board, including suggestions to remove ‘Punjab’ from the title and avoid references to the Punjab Police or former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Questioning the rationale of this demand, he pointed out that the story is set in Punjab and involves the custodial killing by Punjabi police officers. Reacting to the board’s suggestion to avoid naming Indira Gandhi, he allegedly claimed that it was ‘unreasonable’ given the historical context, especially when other films have freely depicted her life. Director Trehan maintained that the film was about history and human rights, and had nothing to do with politics.The film reportedly chronicles Khalra’s investigation into illegal cremations and enforced disappearances during Punjab’s counter-insurgency period in the 1990s. The film’s release has been stalled for several years, allegedly due to the CBFC seeking 127 cuts in the film, which Trehan previously told NDTV, would “no longer reflect my direction. If they are enforced, I would remove my name from the film,” he said.The Khalra family has consistently backed the film’s uncut release. Jaswant Singh Khalra’s wife, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, has opposed the CBFC’s suggested changes, stating that the film was made with the family’s consent and should be released as intended.Initially titled ‘Ghalughara’, meaning ‘massacre’, the film was later renamed following CBFC objections. Although its trailer was briefly released on YouTube, it was later taken down in India. In a tweet early this January, Diljit had announced that his film would release in February 2025. However, it was later delayed. An uncut international release had been scheduled for May 16, 2025, but was also postponed. Dosanjh later informed fans via Instagram that his film would not be released on the planned date due to circumstances beyond their control.
