Actor Kanwaljit Singh, who played a senior police officer in Diljit Dosanjh's film 'Satluj,' reacted to the film's removal just two days after its release. He raised the issue of freedom of speech and stated that the film's creators will appeal the decision in court.
Comments on the film's removal
In an interview with The Free Press Journal, Kanwaljit Singh reported that immediately after the film was taken down, he contacted director Hani Trehan. The director informed him that they would take legal action. Kanwaljit expressed bewilderment regarding the necessity of the film's removal, noting that many viewers had already downloaded it. He emphasized that while people could still watch the film, the producer would suffer the damage.
He questioned the nature of freedom of expression, stating: 'I just want to ask, what kind of freedom of expression is this? I really need to know.'
Disappointment and team support
In another interview with IANS, the actor expressed his complete astonishment at the film being pulled after its premiere. He noted that this issue had been discussed for two to three and a half years. Kanwaljit highly praised his director, Hani Trehan, and producer Rony Skruwal, mentioning that they never yielded to pressure. He recalled how initially 127 edits were discussed, then sending the film to Canada was proposed, and subsequently, it was suddenly excluded from the Toronto Film Festival.
The actor pointed out that similar things had happened with the film for a long time. When permission to release it was granted, he assumed there would be no more concerns, and that any disagreements could be resolved through dialogue after so many years. He stressed that such a response after such a long period was unexpected.
Question about character inspiration
Kanwaljit Singh also commented on rumors that his character was inspired by former Punjab Police Chief CPS Gill. He explained that during a briefing, he was shown videos and clips of various police chiefs and police leaders. Furthermore, he had a lengthy discussion about this character with a friend who is a retired police chief.
Reasons for loving the role
The actor shared why he liked this film the most. He noted that this was the first time he had had the opportunity to play such a brutal character, although he had played similar roles before, they were not as brutal. His interest grew when he was told that he would resemble a certain personality. He believes it is a true story that has never been mentioned, even though it is part of history.
