Satluj Movie Review: SATLUJ brings a deeply disturbing true story to the screen.

 Director: Honey Trehan

Satluj Movie Review Synopsis:

SATLUJ is about a remarkable man who stands up against a strong and cruel system.

The story takes place in 1995.Jaswant Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), a bank manager, lives in Amritsar with his wife, Parminder or Pammi (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan), and their kids.One day, he finds out that Bibi Gurpej Kaur Bannowal (Jyoti Dogra), the mother of his late friend Kirpal (Bhupender Singh), has gone missing.Jaswant asks for help from his police friend, Senior Constable Satnam Singh (Saurabh Sachdeva), but Satnam refuses to help and tells him to forget about it.Jaswant doesn't give up.He starts looking into the case and finds out that Gurpej was declared an unclaimed body and was cremated without her family being informed.As he checks crematorium records and talks to the workers, he finds out a terrible pattern—the Punjab Police is suspected of killing innocent people for no good reason and then cremating their bodies as unidentified corpses while their families are still waiting for them.Jaswant checks three crematoriums in Patti, Durgiana, and Tarn Taran and finds records of over 2,000 such bodies.Determined to tell the truth, he goes to court and reveals the police's wrongdoings to the public.At first, the authorities ignore him, hoping the problem will go away on its own.But when Jaswant won't stay quiet and the issue gains more attention, the police take drastic steps.What follows is the rest of the movie.

Satluj Movie Story Review:

Honey Trehan's story is based on real events and is very shocking.

The screenplay by Niren Bhatt, Utsav Maitra, and Honey Trehan is fully engaging.However, the pace sometimes slows down.The dialogues by Niren Bhatt and Honey Trehan are clever and even hard-hitting in some scenes.Fortunately, all the shocking lines and references are left in and not cut.

Honey Trehan's direction is very good and straightforward.

He makes the story easy to follow while making sure that the serious and sensitive nature of the topic is never lost.In a few scenes, the characters repeat the number of unclaimed bodies that were cremated in the state.Though it feels a bit repetitive, it shows how big and brutal the crime was.Several scenes stand out, especially when SSP Surjit Singh Sugga (Suvinder Vicky) arrives at Satnam's house and when Jaswant confronts DGP Bitta (Kanwaljit Singh) in a public debate.The way the police and government try to justify these illegal killings creates a disturbing sense of familiarity in today's world.Because of this, SATLUJ feels very relevant, even though it's based on events that happened 31 years ago.The investigation parts are very gripping, but Honey saves the most disturbing and powerful moment for the climax.The credits at the end add to the overall shocking effect.

Movie Review: SATLUJ brings a deeply disturbing true story with Diljit Dosanjh’s amazing performance

On the other hand, the film runs for 163 minutes and could have been shorter by at least 10 to 15 minutes.

It also leaves some important questions unanswered.We don't find out how Jaswant and Pammi supported their movement financially, or whether Jaswant quit his job to focus on the cause or continued working while being involved in activism.Also, the title doesn't fully capture the film's subject and impact.Lastly, choosing to release such an important film directly on an OTT platform without proper promotion or awareness feels unfair.

Satluj Movie Review Performances:

Diljit Dosanjh gives his all to the role.

Aware of the deep respect the real Jaswant Singh has, the actor delivers a heartfelt performance that truly represents Jaswant Singh's life, bravery, and struggle.Suvinder Vicky, who has been doing well this year after DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE and the web series GLORY, delivers another strong performance.The mood becomes tense the moment he appears on screen.Arjun Rampal makes a late appearance but makes the most of his limited screen time with a powerful performance.Kanwaljit Singh, known for his lighter roles, makes a remarkable change and becomes one of the film's biggest surprises.Geetika Vidya Ohlyan supports well, while Saurabh Sachdeva shines despite his small role.Jyoti Dogra, Vansh Bhardwaj (Inspector Shivender Singh who is about to get married), Jagjeet Singh (SPO Kuljit Singh), Amardeep Jha (Satnam's mother), and Geeta Agarwal (Dr Geeta Basra) all leave a big mark in their supporting roles.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:

The song 'Shabad' at the end is well integrated.

Alok Punjiani's background music is intense and the theme during scenes with Sugga is very scary.

K U Mohanan's cinematography is good.

Rohit Chaturvedi's costumes and Garima Mathur's production design are reminiscent of an older time.Harpal Singh Pali and Vikram Dahiya's action is minimal but very realistic.A Sreekar Prasad's editing is sharp but could have been more refined in some scenes.

Satluj Movie Review Conclusion:

Overall, SATLUJ brings a deeply disturbing true story to the screen with great sensitivity and is powered by amazing performances from Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal, and Suvinder Vicky.

Its sudden release on an OTT platform without much awareness might affect initial viewership.However, strong word of mouth is likely to spark interest and help the film find its audience.If SATLUJ had a theatrical release, it had the potential to be a major hit, particularly in Punjab and North America.