India's banned Sikh activist film finds audience in Punjab villages

Media & EntertainmentCommunity groups create makeshift cinemas following movie's streaming removalResidents gather for a screening of "Satluj" in a village square of Mahian Wala Kalan, a farming village in Punjab, northern India, after the government banned the film. (Photo by Anuj Behal)QURATULAIN REHBAR and ANUJ BEHALJuly 25, 2026 07:58 JSTFEROZEPUR, India -- Less than 48 hours after "Satluj," a film based on Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, became unavailable in India following government intervention, villages across the northern state of Punjab began organizing their own public screenings, turning courtyards of gurdwara Sikh shrines, village squares and open fields into makeshift cinemas.