filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has expressed his support Diljit Dosanjh‘Satluj’, earlier titled ‘Punjab ’95’, after the film was pulled from its OTT platform just two days after its OTT release. The film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and finally released on the platform on July 3 after years of delays.Reacting to the film, Ram Gopal Varma described ‘Satluj’ as a bold and necessary piece of cinema. He urged the authorities not to suppress the film, saying it fearlessly revisits one of the darkest chapters in India’s history without relying on sensationalism. He wrote, “Just watched SATLUJ and it’s not a movie, but a deep wound that will never heal. It muddies one of the darkest chapters in our history. This is cinema used as confrontation, where @diljitdosanjh acts with chest-beating quiet fury without heroism.. His only weapons are a ledger and a conscience. @rampalarjun adds layers of moral rot to institutional complicity that seems chillingly realistic.” He also praised director Honey Trehan’s restrained storytelling, saying the film derives its impact from truth rather than dramatic excess. “Director @honeytrehan, instead of sensationalizing the horror, unfolds the film as a slow-burn investigative thriller through bureaucratic files, cremation logs and hushed conversations. This restraint makes the brutality of the subject matter that much harder because it explodes with the force of truth, not exploitation. The philosophical core of the film about how a democracy devours its own citizens and then tries to erase the evidence is explored without any preaching and that is no ordinary achievement,” he added.Referring to the controversy surrounding the removal of the film from the OTT platform, Varma said the developments only highlighted the importance of ‘Satluj’. He added that art serves its purpose when it challenges those in positions of power.“The various issues surrounding its exhibition and publication prove that any art that disturbs the powerful has done its job, and that is the true purpose of true art, which is SATLUJ. It is a very brave essential cinema because it disturbs, educates and endures. In times when the mainstream chases spectacle and popcorn cinema, SUTLEJ shoots the truth and the truth of the medium of cinema. SATLUJ is a film that has of watching, showing, discussing, debating and not finding ourselves as the victims of the film,” he wrote.At the end of its publication, the filmmaker made an emotional appeal, urging the authorities not to silence the film. “My appeal to all powers is, please do not do to SATLUJ what has been done to JASWANT SINGH KALRA. THE TRUTH POINTS OUT STRONGER when one tries to HIDE IT. – AYN RAND.”Directed by Honey Trehan, ‘Satluj’ finally premiered on ZEE5 on July 3 after nearly four years of prolonged delays and certification hurdles that derailed its planned theatrical release. However, the film was pulled from the streaming platform just two days after its debut.