Diljit Dosanjh at Delhi Concert: ‘Don’t Teach Punjabis How to Fight’ as He Defends Satluj

Diljit Dosanjh addressed the controversy surrounding his film Satluj during the opening night of his Aura India Tour 2026 in New Delhi on Friday, telling a sold-out crowd at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium that the team had fought for years to bring the film to audiences. “I love all of you because I am an artist, bro. I am being quiet, so let me stay quiet. I support all of you. But don’t teach Punjabis how to fight,” he said from the stage.

He then spoke directly about the film and the effort behind it. “The film you are making fun of on stage, Jaswant Singh Khalra’s film — we fought for that film for a long time. I love all of you. If someone hates us, it’s okay. But I love all of you,” he said. The remarks were aimed at critics who had mocked the film during protests in Delhi earlier this year, after Dosanjh chose not to involve himself in student protests and described himself as an artist.

Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj is a biographical drama based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, starring Dosanjh in the central role. The film examines Khalra’s investigation into the alleged secret cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab during the militancy and counter-insurgency period of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally titled Ghallughara and later renamed Punjab ’95, the project faced prolonged certification hurdles — the Central Board of Film Certification initially sought 21 cuts and a title change, with the proposed edits reportedly later rising to 127. In July 2026, the film unexpectedly appeared on ZEE5 under the title Satluj, but was removed from the platform in India within 48 hours following directions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Here is the Filmverse take: what makes this moment notable is the stage Dosanjh chose for it. A concert opening is not a press conference, and his message was deliberately framed as affection rather than confrontation — love for the audience first, defiance second. But the substance is unmistakable: he is drawing a line between his politics and his art, arguing that making a film about Khalra is itself a form of taking a stand, even if he declines to join a protest. For an artist whose career straddles Punjabi cinema, Bollywood and global music, that distinction — between the work and the street — is likely to be debated long after this tour ends.

Sources: Bollywood Hungama, IANS, ANI