Amid the controversies surrounding ‘Satluj’, the director Honey Trehan has refuted claims that his Diljit Dosanjh starrer is a fake movie, capable of disrupting social harmony. Commenting on the controversy surrounding the film, the director said that the response below tells a different story, saying that Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab have been watching the film together peacefully. Trehan said that ‘Satluj’ was not intended to provoke people, therefore, there was no reason to ban it.“Are there any reasons for these statements? They say my film can destroy law and order in Punjab. In fact, my film has united Punjab. If you go to Punjab you will see, people are watching a movie together. They say that my film is dividing people and dividing Hindus and Sikhs, but on the ground, Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab are watching the film together. It didn’t upset anyone. My film is a medicine to heal the wounds of people who have suffered a lot… I don’t think there was any reason to stop it,” the director told The Indian Express.Trehan also said that the controversy escalated only after the government intervened, maintaining that the audience was watching the film peacefully before it was removed from the platform.“People were watching my film peacefully in their homes for the first 48 hours. There was no problem with it. But the government banned the film, and now it has become a group. It’s been 10 days; everyone is watching the film with peace, harmony, and ‘langar’ is being given to them,” he continued. Asked about the diversity of films accused of carrying political messages, the actor said ‘Satluj’ also deserves the same opportunity to reach people.“Even if you say that my film is a propaganda film, then it should be released like you released other propaganda films. Why do you differentiate? We are a great country. One film cannot harm our culture,” said Trehan.‘Satluj’ was shown on ZEE5 in India on July 3 but was pulled from the platform within 48 hours. Later, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting clarified that the film was released without completing the official certification process. According to the Centre, the OTT release did not meet the requirements, which prompted ZEE5 to remove it from its Indian catalog.“Satluj did not have the required approval for theatrical release. Instead of following the certification process, the makers changed the title of the film and released it on the OTT platform on Friday,” an Information and Broadcasting Ministry official told ANI.Directed by Honey Trehan, ‘Satluj’ is inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed alleged illegal burning and indiscriminate killings in Punjab during the insurgency era of the 1980s and 1990s. This movie is currently not available to stream in India.