Chennai: Supporting director Honey Trehan’s recently released film ‘Sutlej’, renowned filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has now said that it was not a film but a deep wound that will never heal.
Taking to his X timeline to share his thoughts about the film, which he said he has now seen, Ram Gopal Varma said, “Just watched ‘Sutlej’ and it is not a film but a deep wound that will never heal. It stirs up the mud in one of the darkest chapters of our history. This cinema is used as a confrontation, where @diljitdosanjh works with quiet anger, without any chest-thumping heroics. He has only a ledger and a conscience. @rampalarjun adds layers of moral rot to institutional complicity that feel horrifying and real.” Praising director Honey Trehan, he wrote, “Director @honeytrehan, instead of sensationalizing the horror, has presented the film as a slow-burn investigative thriller, using bureaucratic files, cremation records, and suppressed conversations. This control makes the brutality of the subject matter all the more impactful because it is revealed through the power of truth rather than exploitation.”
Varma said that the film’s philosophical core – how a democracy consumes its own citizens and then tries to destroy the evidence – is presented without any preachiness and is no ordinary achievement.
Ram Gopal Varma said, “The various issues related to its exhibition and publication prove that any art that makes the powerful uncomfortable has done its job, and that is the true purpose of true art, which is SATLUJ.” Verma said, “This is very courageous, important filmmaking because it disturbs, teaches, and is memorable. At a time when the mainstream is chasing only spectacle and popcorn cinema, ‘Satluj’ is a stark reminder of what the cinematic medium can truly achieve when it embraces truth and honesty,” and added that ‘Satluj’ was a film that should have been seen, shown, discussed, and debated, rather than encountered like the victims in the film.
He made an appeal on this occasion. “My appeal to all forces is, please do not do to the Sutlej what was done to Jaswant Singh Kalra,” he said, and concluded by quoting Ayn Rand. “The truth speaks louder when someone tries to hide it.”
For those unaware, Honey Trehan’s directorial debut, Satluj, is inspired by the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Kalra. He is believed to have exposed widespread extrajudicial killings by the Punjab Police at a time when Punjab was grappling with the problems of militancy and insurgency.
The film, which faced significant delays in its release, finally released on the OTT platform Zee5 on July 3 this year. However, the film was quietly removed 48 hours later, with the platform stating that it would be unavailable until further notice.
RGV’s emotional tweet: ‘Sutlej’ is a wound that will never heal
