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A committee set up by the Centre to examine the content of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film 'Satluj' is learnt to have recommended that the ban on its public access through online streaming platforms should remain as the film allegedly goes against India's sovereignty and integrity, government sources said on Saturday. The Honey Trehan-directed film depicts the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994, and was abducted and murdered by the state police in 1995. It was pulled from the OTT platform ZEE5 for viewers in India two days after its release on July 3 after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cited security concerns. Subsequently, the ministry set up an inter-department committee (IDC) under the IT Rules 2021 for a detailed examination of the film and recommend the future course of action. The issue turned political in Punjab, with the Shiromani Gurdwara ...
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh's long-delayed film "Punjab '95", which released in India on streaming service ZEE5 under a new title "Satluj", has become unavailable on the platform just two days later. The film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was stuck in censorship for over three years. The Honey Trehan-directed movie was released without any cuts on Friday, but on Sunday evening the platform shared a statement to inform viewers that it's no longer available in India. "In light of the current developments, 'Satluj' will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity," the streamer said in a statement. The OTT platform said the response to 'Satluj' since its release has been truly overwhelming. "We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support
ZEE5 aims to make content both affordable and relatable for Bengali audiencesparticularly in tier two and three citiesby aligning pricing and storytelling with local needs and cultural sensibilities, says Rusa Banerjee, Business Head of the streamer's Bangla arm. The OTT platform is trying to keep pace with changing audience preferences by innovating with different genres and storytelling formats to stay relevant and engaging, Banerjee added. "Storytelling in Bengali is evolving fast and so are we. We are actively experimenting across formats, genres, and narrative styles to stay in step with what audiences want today. "We wish to give audiences, hooked to Bengali contents, a platform that reflects their stories, in their language, at a price that respects their wallet and enables them to pay only for what they want to watch," Banerjee told PTI in an interview. On the programming level, she said the platform is deliberately mixing thrillers, dramas, and cultural themes to broaden a
Leading broadcaster ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Monday said it has entered into a strategic equity partnership with Bullet, a new-age content & tech start-up. ZEEL did not share much details on the transactions, but said "it will invest/acquire stake in Bullet". Co-founded by entrepreneurs Azim Lalani and Saurabh Kushwah, Bullet has developed India's first micro-drama application focused on fast-paced, creator-driven content through short duration vertical format episodes targeted towards the younger audiences. "Bullet will be launched within the ZEE5 ecosystem, leveraging its strong user base by enabling access to high-quality, bite-sized entertainment directly through the platform," according to a joint statement. Moreover, to have a pan-India appeal, the application will be available across languages and will harness the company's rich content engine and repertoire of language content, it said. The application will cater to the evolving consumption habits of ...