‘How Can Any Film Survive 127 Cuts?’

Arjun Rampal is going through the most rewarding phase of his career. His role in Honey Trehan’s Punjab 95, where he plays a CBI officer investigating the disappearance of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, is arguably his finest performance to date.

“You think so? And look at what’s happening with the film—it’s stuck with the censor board! They’re asking for 127 cuts. Can you believe that? How can any film survive so many cuts?” Arjun says, visibly frustrated. “This is a film about the human right to live. It shows how unchecked power in the hands of state machinery can lead to horrific collateral damage. Frankly, we don’t know what to do.”

Is there any way the film can be salvaged?

Arjun feels deeply about the issue of human rights. “When I heard Jaswant Singh Khalra’s story, my heart broke. This man lost his life trying to find the sons and husbands who disappeared during anti-militancy operations. What did he gain from it? Such selflessness is nearly extinct in today’s world of ‘me, me, me.’”

Punjab 95 is, for Arjun, the most meaningful film of his career. “This is the film I want to be remembered by. I want my son to watch it when he’s old enough,” the actor adds.