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Days after being taken down from Zee5, director Honey Trehan\u2019s Satluj has faced another setback, with IMDb (Internet Movie Database) removing the film\u2019s user rating from its portal. On Tuesday, Satluj, featuring actor Diljit Dosanjh was listed as the highest-rated Indian film on IMDb with a 9.5 rating, but by Wednesday, the rating had disappeared from the platform.<\/p>\n
Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta reacted to the development on X and questioned the credibility of IMDb\u2019s ratings. He wrote, \u201cRated 9.5 till yesterday. Gone today. Not that I ever trusted or believed in IMDB ratings. But this proves how bogus they are (sic).\u201d<\/p>\n
Satluj<\/a> co-writer Niren Bhatt metioned that he was also unaware of what led to the rating being removed. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know when the film was going to be released, and we didn\u2019t even know when it was taken down. And now this IMDb rating we don\u2019t know who had a problem with it, what the problem was, or why. There was simply no communication,\u201d he said, in an interview with Hindustan Times.<\/p>\n Bhatt had earlier criticised what he described as a lack of transparency around the film\u2019s prolonged release struggle. Speaking to Variety India, he said, \u201cI feel someone in the establishment has a massive problem with it, but the real issue is the complete lack of communication. For years, it has just been pure stonewalling. There is pin drop silence from the CBFC. They will not tell us what their problem is, which parts offend them or who is making these calls.”<\/p>\n The writer added, “Even now, Zee5 issues a statement about \u2018current developments\u2019 but cannot explain what those developments actually are. If there is a problem, let us have a dialogue. But how can you have a dialogue when they just silently remove your work?”<\/p>\n Responding to claims that the film could be weaponised by \u201canti-India forces\u201d or international elements, Bhatt rejected the argument. He said, \u201cThat argument simply does not hold. If The Kashmir Files can exist, if The Kerala Story can exist, why can they exist without being labelled tools for international forces? Why is our film the chosen one that will suddenly be misused by extreme elements? You cannot jump to far-fetched, paranoid conclusions just to suppress a straightforward biography. It makes absolutely no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Before it was pulled, Satluj earned immense critical acclaim. India Today gave the film a glowing four-star rating in its review, praising its restraint and writing<\/a>. It read, \u201cFor years, the film itself became a story of censorship before audiences could even judge it as cinema. But strip away the politics surrounding its release and what remains is something far more haunting\u2014a deeply humane story about memory, accountability and one ordinary man who refused to let thousands disappear twice.\u201d<\/p>\n