After suggesting 85 cuts, CBFC has now ordered nearly 120 cuts to Punjab’ 95, the biopic based on Jaswant Singh Khalra led by Diljit Dosanjh. According to the latest report, one of the biggest changes that the Censor Board has asked is the renaming of Khalra’s character. They have also asked for the title of the film to be changed. The team had named the film Punjab ’95, referring to the year of Khalra’s death. He died in 1995 and a decade later, six police officials from Punjab police were convicted for his murder.
In addition to this, the most pivotal change is to not call the protagonist Jaswant Singh anymore. Director Honey Trehan and producer Ronnie Screwvala told CBFC that they won’t allow this change in a film that highlights Khalra’s role in investigating the disappearance and killing of Sikh youths during the Punjab insurgency between 1984 and 1994.
“Their point of argument was that Khalra is seen as a martyr by the Sikh community and removing his name will be disrespectful not just to him and his family, but to the entire community. Not to mention that it then won’t be a biopic anymore. The CBFC also stated that the movie cannot claim to be based on real-life incidents as they felt it would lead to ‘swaying of sentiments,’” the insider shared.
“In a scene, there is a Gurbani that has been asked to be removed. They have also instructed that any mention of Punjab and the district of Tarn Taran be dropped. Moreover, display of the national flag and any reference to Canada or the UK has to be dropped altogether. If the makers agree to these changes, they will be handed the certificate before the week ends,” the source shared.
The movie stars Diljit Dosanjh in the lead and also stars Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky. The film has been in the process of obtaining a CBFC certificate since 2022.
