Satluj director Honey Trehan calls new censor board advisory for filmmakers ‘cowardness and dictatorship’

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) issued a fresh advisory for filmmakers last month, with some of the new guidelines raising eyebrows.

On October 26, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) issued a new advisory for filmmakers looking to certify their films. Some of the new guidelines raised eyebrows, with the board making it clear that announced titles and release dates will not be taken into consideration during the process. Director Honey Trehan, whose Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, previously titled Panjab ‘95, did not get certification, called the new diktat ‘cowardness and dictatorship’.

Honey Trehan and Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj was previously titled Panjab '95.

Honey Trehan calls new CBFC advisory ‘cowardness’

News of the new CBFC advisory began circulating widely on Monday, inviting a range of opinions. Honey re-posted a poster of his film Satluj shared by Variety India on his Instagram Stories with ‘New CBFC guidelines for filmmakers’ written on it. Giving his opinion on the same, he added, “New Guidelines shows and underlines the Cowardness & the Dictatorship in the country not the Democratic approach towards the freedom of speech.”

Honey Trehan on the new CBFC advisory for filmmakers.

The new CBFC advisory for filmmakers

New CBFC guidelines for filmmakers were issued in September, and the new advisory was released in October. 18 new members were announced to constitute the board this year, for the first time since 2017. Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Pallavi Joshi, Ricky Kej, and Supriya Yarlagadda are among its members. The advisory states that filmmakers must submit the final version of their film, complete with titles, graphics, and sound, for certification. They also stated that the announced title and release dates will not be considered.

When Satluj faced issues with CBFC certification

This comes after Honey’s Satluj was stuck in the CBFC certification process for nearly three years. There was a standoff between the makers and the board, as the board refused to comply with the requested changes. The film, originally titled Ghallughara, was renamed Panjab ‘95 and eventually dropped, uncut and silently, on Zee5 under the name Satluj in July. The film was taken down within hours of its release.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay’s final film, Jana Nayagan, was also stuck with the CBFC for months when it was sent to a revising committee at the last minute before its intended theatrical release in January for Pongal. The makers faced off the CBFC in court but received no relief. The film eventually hit screens in July after the makers complied with the changes asked by the board. A few other films across the country have also had scenes removed and titles changed during the certification process.