'Satluj' director slams new CBFC advisory as cowardness and dictatorship in country

'Satluj' director Honey Trehan slams new CBFC advisory as cowardness and dictatorship in the country: 'Not the democratic approach towards the freedom of speech'

Director Honey Trehan has strongly criticised the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) latest advisory for filmmakers. The board issued the notice on October 26 and made it clear that announced titles and release dates will not be considered during certification.

Honey, whose Diljit Dosanjh-starrer ‘Satluj’ (earlier titled ‘Panjab 95’) was denied certification, called the new rule ‘cowardness and dictatorship’.

Honey Trehan reacts to the new advisory

News of the advisory spread widely on Monday and drew mixed reactions. Honey shared a poster of ‘Satluj’ posted by Variety India on his Instagram Stories, with the text ‘New CBFC guidelines for filmmakers’ on it. Sharing his view, he wrote, “New Guidelines shows and underlines the cowardness & the dictatorship in the country, not the democratic approach towards the freedom of speech.”

What the new CBFC advisory says

The CBFC had issued guidelines for filmmakers in September, and the latest advisory followed in October. This year, 18 new members were named to the board, the first such change since 2017. Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Pallavi Joshi, Ricky Kej and Supriya Yarlagadda are part of the new panel. As per the advisory, makers must submit the final version of their film, with titles, graphics and sound, for certification.

It also states that announced titles and release dates will not be taken into account.

The long certification battle of ‘Satluj’

Honey’s reaction comes after ‘Satluj’ remained stuck with the CBFC for almost three years. The makers and the board were in a standoff, as the makers did not agree to the changes the board asked for. The film, first titled ‘Ghallughara’, was later renamed ‘Panjab 95’. In July, it was quietly released without cuts on Zee5 as ‘Satluj’, but it was removed within hours.

‘Jana Nayagan’ also faced delays

Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay’s last film, ‘Jana Nayagan’, also remained with the CBFC for months. It was sent to a revising committee at the last minute, just before its planned Pongal release in January. The makers went to court against the board but got no relief. The film finally reached theatres in July after the makers made the changes the board wanted. Several other films across the country have also seen scenes cut and titles altered during certification.