Satluj Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky
Director: Honey Trehan
Satluj Movie Review Synopsis:
SATLUJ is the story of an extraordinary man who takes on a powerful and ruthless system. The year is 1995. Jaswant Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), a bank director, lives in Amritsar with his wife, Parminder aka Pammi (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan), and their children. One day, he learns that Bibi Gurpej Kaur Bannowal (Jyoti Dogra), the mother of his deceased friend Kirpal (Bhupender Singh), has gone missing. Jaswant seeks the help of his police officer friend, Senior Constable Satnam Singh (Saurabh Sachdeva), but Satnam feigns ignorance and advises him to stay away from the matter. Unwilling to give up, Jaswant begins investigating and discovers that Gurpej was declared an unclaimed body and cremated without her family being informed. As he examines crematorium records and speaks to the staff, he uncovers a horrifying pattern – the Punjab Police has allegedly been killing innocent people, often on flimsy grounds, and secretly cremating their bodies as unidentified corpses, even as their families continue to wait for their return. Jaswant investigates only three crematoriums, in Patti, Durgiana and Tarn Taran, and discovers records of more than 2,000 such bodies. Determined to bring the truth to light, he approaches the court and exposes the police atrocities before the world. Initially, the authorities ignore him, hoping that the controversy will eventually die down. However, when Jaswant refuses to be silenced and the issue continues to gain momentum, the police resort to extreme measures. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Satluj Movie Story Review:
Honey Trehan's story is inspired by true events and truly shocking. Niren Bhatt, Utsav Maitra and Honey Trehan's screenplay is thoroughly captivating. However, the pace drops in some places. Niren Bhatt and Honey Trehan's dialogues are sharp and even acidic in a few scenes. Thankfully, all the shocking dialogues and references are intact and haven’t been cut.
Honey Trehan’s direction is exemplary and, more importantly, straightforward. He keeps the narrative easy to follow while ensuring that the gravity and sensitivity of the subject are never diluted. In a few scenes, the characters repeatedly cite the number of unclaimed bodies cremated across the state. Though this may seem repetitive, it effectively drives home the sheer scale and brutality of the crime. Several scenes stand out, particularly SSP Surjit Singh Sugga (Suvinder Vicky) arriving at Satnam’s residence and Jaswant challenging DGP Bitta (Kanwaljit Singh) to an open debate. The manner in which the police force and the government attempt to justify the extrajudicial killings evokes an unsettling sense of déjà vu in the present-day context. As a result, SATLUJ feels relevant despite being based on events that took place 31 years ago. The investigation portions are gripping, but Honey reserves the most disturbing and impactful moment for the climax. The supers displayed at the end further intensify the shock.
On the flipside, at 163 minutes, the film is overlong and could have been trimmed by at least 10-15 minutes. It also leaves a few important questions unanswered. One never learns how Jaswant and Pammi managed to sustain the movement financially, or whether Jaswant quit his job to pursue the cause full-time or continued working while indulging in activism. Moreover, the title does not entirely do justice to the film’s subject and impact. Lastly, the decision to release such an important film directly on an OTT platform, and that too without adequate promotion or awareness, feels unjustified.
Satluj Movie Review Performances:
Diljit Dosanjh pours his heart into the character. Fully aware that he is portraying a deeply revered figure, the actor delivers a sincere performance that does complete justice to Jaswant Singh’s life, courage and struggle. Suvinder Vicky, who is on a roll this year after DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE and the web series GLORY, delivers yet another solid performance. The atmosphere turns menacing the moment he enters the frame. Arjun Rampal makes a late appearance but compensates for the limited screen time with a powerful act. Kanwaljit Singh, best known for his light-hearted roles, undergoes a remarkable transformation and emerges as one of the film’s biggest surprises. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan lends able support, while Saurabh Sachdeva shines despite his limited screen time. Jyoti Dogra, Vansh Bhardwaj (Inspector Shivender Singh who's about to get married), Jagjeet Singh (SPO Kuljit Singh), Amardeep Jha (Satnam's mother) and Geeta Agarwal (Dr Geeta Basra) also leave a huge mark in supporting parts. The others who do well are Varun Badola (Advocate Jais), S M Zaheer (CM Anant Singh), Anil Mange (Sanjiv Singh; eyewitness), Nasser (DGP S V Varma) and Amit Dhawan (DSP Jagpal Singh).
Satluj movie music and other technical aspects:
'Shabad', played in the end, is well-woven. Alok Punjiani's background score is gripping and the theme played in the scenes of Sugga is terrifying.
K U Mohanan's cinematography is satisfactory. Rohit Chaturvedi's costumes and Garima Mathur's production design are reminiscent of the bygone era. Harpal Singh Pali and Vikram Dahiya's action is minimal and very realistic. A Sreekar Prasad's editing is sharp but could have been crisper in some scenes.
Satluj Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, SATLUJ brings a deeply disturbing true story to the screen with remarkable sensitivity and is powered by marvellous performances from Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky. Its sudden release on an OTT platform, without any awareness, may affect the initial viewership. However, strong word of mouth is likely to generate curiosity and help the film find its audience. Had SATLUJ received a theatrical release, it had the potential to emerge as a major success, particularly in Punjab and North America.