'Robbery under broad daylight': Varun Badola slams 'Satluj' takedown
What's the story
The controversy surrounding the Diljit Dosanjh-led film Satluj is only getting bigger. The movie, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has been taken down from ZEE5 globally. However, it was recently screened in Jammu. This has led to debates about censorship and piracy. In an exclusive interview with News18, Varun Badola, who plays advocate Ravinder Jais in the film, weighed in on these issues.
Piracy stance
Badola's thoughts on piracy
Despite playing an important role, the actor has yet to watch the movie. Badola said, "I've been seeing videos of the film being screened in villages on Instagram. We keep fighting against piracy. I understand that this situation is very different, but I still can't advocate piracy." He added, "I won't watch the pirated version. That's a rule I've always followed. So, I'll wait. The only thing we can all do right now is wait."
Film's fate
'Only they know why they decided to ban...'
Badola called the takedown of Satluj a "robbery under broad daylight." He said, "It's not like restrictions weren't ever imposed on any film in the past. So many Indian films have been banned." "Sometimes, the powers that be feel that a course correction is important. Only they know why they decided to ban our film." "Through our film, we put forth a point of view, and it would've given many people the chance to see that."
Director's update
Badola on Honey Trehan's thoughts during the controversy
Badola also shared his conversation with director Honey Trehan two days after Satluj was taken down. He said, "Qayde se unke paas information honi chahiye thi but he had none." "Whatever is happening is between the streaming platform and government authorities. They must have kept Honey in the loop, but I don't want to bombard him with questions." Meanwhile, a petition was recently filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against illegal public screenings of the film in Punjab.