The release of ‘Satluj’ on ZEE5 on July 3 briefly marked the end of a three-year-long battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which had kept the film off screens. However, the OTT platform abruptly pulled the film in India on July 5. The biographical drama, earlier titled Punjab 95, is based on the life of social activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, played by Diljit Dosanjh, and features Suvinder Pal Vicky in a striking turn as the trigger-happy SSP Surjit Singh Sugga.In a recent interview, the ‘Kohrra’ actor reflected on the film’s abrupt removal from streaming, the challenge of portraying one of its darkest characters while simultaneously playing a very different police officer in ‘Kohrra’, and why he continues to choose roles that offer substance over screen time.
Suvinder Pal Vicky on ‘Satluj’s sudden takedown
Asked about his first reaction to ‘Satluj’ being taken off OTT platform in India just two days after it began streaming, Vicky told Variety India, “My opinion is that if we are still clinging to the belief that we are liable to heal our old wounds, or if we think that our present or future or generations will not be able to digest the truth, then that is wrong. As for the rest, whatever game was being played to stop our film, it is still going on. As soon as this film was streamed, it was removed from the OTT platform in India within a couple of days. This should not have happened. It has been a long, exhausting journey. We did what we had to – the pre-production, the shoot and the post-production. Everyone was happy, and things were going well. We were full of hope and optimism, but nobody had an inkling of what would happen next.”Reflecting on the years-long wait for the film’s release, Vicky said, “Honey Trehan, Ronnie Screwvala, we actors, the whole team did our work and moved on to our next project, but it was exhausting for us because everyone kept asking about the film’s release. Finally, when it was streamed for two days, everyone was very gung-ho about it. But that didn’t last long.”
Suvinder Pal Vicky on playing SSP Surjit Singh Sugga
Asked whether it was difficult to say yes to playing someone as ruthless as SSP Surjit Singh Sugga, Vicky said it wasn’t a hard decision at all, explaining how the role grew on him during research, “Not at all. After Honey Trehan narrated the role, I did some research about the character. What kind of a person he was and what he was like. Gradually, I started finding it more interesting.”The ‘Dhurandhar’ actor then detailed the demanding schedule of playing two very different police officers at the same time, shooting Kohrra by day and Satluj by night:“The shoot of ‘Kohraa,’ in which I played the role of a police inspector, Balbir Singh, was about to end just as I was about to begin shooting for ‘Satluj.’ I was shooting for ‘Kohrra’ in Ludhiana during the day, and at night I was in a village near Tarn Taran to shoot a scene for ‘Satluj.’ I faced a major challenge as an actor. Sugga and Balbir were both cops and the uniform was the same khaki, but there was a radical difference between them. The cop in Satluj was a brutal person. It was a big challenge for me. I put in my 100% and I think I have been successful. People have told me they hate this character, and I do too.”Vicky also spoke about the responsibility he felt in portraying the character with honesty, given the real history it draws from, “For me, it was so important to keep Suvinder aside and play Sugga. The violence or injustice that the police did to the common people at that time had to be told. It was really a dark period for Punjab.”
Suvinder Pal Vicky on choosing substance over screen time
Asked why audiences see relatively little of him on screen despite the praise he receives, Vicky said, “I do my work with full honesty, so it feels good. As for doing little work, I do as much work as I get. I have the hunger to work. I want to enjoy my work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big or small role, but there should be something in it… some kind of challenge. So, if I get a lot of work, I will give it my 100% and entertain people.“
More about ‘Satluj’
Directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, ‘Satluj’ (originally titled ‘Punjab ’95’) is a hard-hitting biographical drama inspired by the life of revered human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late 1980s and early 1990s militancy era in Punjab, the film follows Khalra’s harrowing crusade to investigate and expose thousands of alleged illegal abductions, extrajudicial killings, and mass unidentifiable cremations by corrupt police personnel. The film became a lightning rod for censorship controversy, remaining locked in a grueling battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for years over more than 120 demanded cuts. Though the uncut version briefly made it to a digital premiere on ZEE5 in July 2026, it was abruptly pulled down within 48 hours following a directive from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
