"With Censor Board's 127 Cuts, Punjab '95 Is Not My Or Diljit Dosanjh's Film": Director Honey Trehan To NDTV

NDTV

2 days ago

New Delhi:
Diljit Dosanjh has been in the eye of the storm ever since June 23, 2025, when he shared the trailer of his recently released film, Sardaar Ji 3. The outrage was over Pakistani actress Hania Aamir being a part of the film, amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the horrific Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025.
Film bodies such as the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) condemned the release of the film in India. FWICE even urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to withhold the certification of Sardaar Ji 3 and ban Diljit Dosanjh from appearing in any movie or music video in India. The reason is that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's directives and the organisation had themselves imposed a ban on Pakistani artists in Indian projects.
Amid the high-end controversy surrounding Sardaar Ji 3, there was another Diljit Dosanjh movie that was battling its share of rejections and obstacles.
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It is director Honey Trehan's Punjab '95. The film was first submitted to the CBFC in December 2022. Two and a half years later, the film is still fighting to get a release date. The Central Board for Film Certification had asked the makers for 127 cuts in the film, but there's no further word from them on that, the director tells NDTV.
A larger section of the online population was made aware of the film and the silent battle that it has been fighting, on the sidelines of the Hania Aamir-Diljit Dosanjh controversy.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, director Honey Trehan reacts to the sudden buzz about Punjab '95 that surged with the focus on Sardaar Ji 3.
He says, "It went on for a week, and it died down because the government came in and extended their support to Diljit Dosanjh, and everything happened now. The people who were so vocal on social media, where are they now? It has all died down."
He adds, "So, it's just when the government takes the right decision, when they come in support or to protect the artist and their freedom of speech, other people will understand."
'CBFC Given Extra Powers That It Misuses'
In light of how the CBFC has been an integral part in these films that are struggling for a variety of reasons, be it Punjab '95 or Sardaar Ji 3 lately, Honey Trehan elaborates that the "CBFC has also been given extra powers which are misused".
He says, "That's how politics plays a role. Now every controversy has died down."
Despite Sardaar Ji 3 skipping an India release, it has broken box office records in Pakistan ever since it hit the screens. As of today, it has collected Rs 42.60 crore in 10 days.
Honey Trehan says, "The film has had a great opening worldwide, not just in Pakistan. So I don't understand, when you're stopping the film from releasing, whose loss is it? You're trying to stop a film in a market like India."
The Overreaction To Sardaar Ji 3
Diljit Dosanjh, in an interview, had mentioned how Sardaar Ji 3 was shot way back, before the Pahalgam terror attack and the following India-Pakistan conflict. At that time, the level of criticism that would be unleashed on the film was unprecedented.
So, why has the reaction gone overboard?
Honey Trehan reacts, "No, I understand people's emotional and sentimental values, and sometimes you need to take those kinds of steps. But people need to understand that when something is being shot way before the incident, it is out of everyone's control. The pattern has to be of handling it logically. Right now, the government has come in support, so everything has settled down."
'Radio Silence From CBFC On Punjab '95 '
With controversial films like Punjab '95, there is always the lingering thought of it hurting religious sentiments and various theories being made because it is history that is being portrayed.
But Honey Trehan refutes the notion by saying, "We don't even know what the CBFC wants, there's radio silence."
He adds, "When I met the head of the Revision committee, after watching everything, he tallied everything with the papers. All the cards were in place, and he looked at me, and I was like, 'now what?' It's like, earlier, speaking the truth used to be appreciated, but now it has become a blame game."
Why Honey Trehan And Diljit Dosanjh Took Off Their Names From Punjab '95
Diljit Dosanjh and Honey Trehan had taken a joint decision to remove their names from the credits of Punjab '95 if they had to incorporate 127 cuts for it to be released.
As the filmmaker says, "It's not my film then, it's CBFC's film."
Speaking of how Diljit Dosanjh has been rock-solid during this storm, he says, "Diljit is very calm and composed. Whenever I speak to him, he always motivates. And he is a very courageous person. Of course, he gets upset and disappointed."
As for deciding on taking their names off Punjab '95, he says, "We have to stand by our conscience. If I do not stand by myself, I have no right to make a movie on such a matter. Jaswant Singh Khalra, Punjab '95 is about his life, he fought for 25,000 unclaimed bodies, and extrajudicial killings of people. Without knowing who those people are. I have made a film on that guy's life. And I cannot even stand by that person. Then what's the point?"
Punjab '95 And Jaswant Singh Khalra
Punjab '95 is a biographical drama that is a story about human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who played a crucial role in investigating and exposing extrajudicial killings during the Punjab militancy era.
Khalra had estimated that about 25,000 people were allegedly illegally killed and cremated by the Punjab police, and the officers refused to co-operate. In 1995, Khalra himself was abducted and murdered, and six Punjab policemen were later convicted for the crime.
Punjab '95 was removed from the line-up of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), just ahead of its world premiere, without any prior intimation.