# Punjab 1984 (ਪੰਜਾਬ 1984)
**Punjab 1984** (ਪੰਜਾਬ 1984) is a 2014 Indian Punjabi-language drama film directed by Anurag Singh, set in Punjab during the militancy years that followed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, in which a mother searches for her missing son[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984). It stars singer-actor [Diljit Dosanjh](https://www.edgepedia.org/diljit-dosanjh), Kirron Kher, and [Sonam Bajwa](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonam-bajwa) in pivotal roles[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html). The film won the National Film Award for Best Punjabi Film at the 62nd [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards), announced in March 2015[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 2014 (listed as 26 June 2014)[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html) • [3](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/punjab-1984-366738.html) |
| Director / writers | Anurag Singh; screenplay by Anurag Singh and Surmeet Maavi[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984) |
| Lead cast | Diljit Dosanjh, Kirron Kher, Sonam Bajwa, Pavan Malhotra[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html) • [4](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/punjab-1984-punjabi-news-291271) |
| Premise | A mother searches for her son, who is labeled a terrorist during the turmoil of 1984 Punjab[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/punjab-1984) |
| National award | Best Punjabi Film, 62nd National Film Awards (announced 24 March 2015)[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html) |
| Runtime / rating | 2 hours 39 minutes; IMDb 8.3 (about 3,100 votes)[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/punjab-1984) |
| Production | White Hill Studios and Dalmora Films; producers Gunbir Singh Sidhu and Manmord Sidhu[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984) |
## Spoilers
### Story and characters
The film opens in the thick of [Operation Blue Star](https://www.edgepedia.org/operation-blue-star) at the [Golden Temple](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-temple) in Amritsar, with a mother seeking water for her infant among innocent people locked in a room. It then shifts to Satwant Kaur ([Kirron Kher](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirron-kher)), a mother searching for her son Shivjeet, also called Shiva (Diljit Dosanjh), who has gone missing in the militancy-ridden state[4](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/punjab-1984-punjabi-news-291271).
In the story, Shivjeet Singh is a young man whom the police mistake for a terrorist during the riots in Punjab, and he is forced to leave his home; the film follows his mother's helplessness as she searches for him[6](https://www.punjabijagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-diljit-dosanjh-has-witnessed-the-sikh-massacre-even-before-satluj-soul-will-tremble-after-watching-these-2-films-available-on-ott-9652505.html). The Times of India described the film as being about family relationships against the backdrop of terrorism, police brutality, and communal riots, looking at the aftermath of the riots[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/film-on-1984-wins-national-award/articleshow/46683373.cms).
The second half turns to the militancy of the [Khalistan movement](https://www.edgepedia.org/khalistan-movement) and the bloodshed of the period. Reviewer Namrata Joshi of *Outlook* judged that the film's strength lies less in history than in its human costs: the rural landscape, the language, the rustic humor, and the mother-son relationship, while the protracted action of the later stretch weakens the emotional connection[4](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/punjab-1984-punjabi-news-291271).
## Reception and awards
When the 62nd National Film Awards were announced on 24 March 2015, Punjab 1984 was declared the Best Punjabi Film[1](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html). Director Anurag Singh dedicated the award "to those mothers of Punjab who are still waiting for their sons," and noted that the film had shown that a sensitive subject could win both commercial and critical success[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/film-on-1984-wins-national-award/articleshow/46683373.cms). It was the first Punjabi film on the 1984 theme to receive the award[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/film-on-1984-wins-national-award/articleshow/46683373.cms).
**Box office and standing.** The Times of India reported that the film was the biggest revenue grosser among Punjabi films before *Char Sahibzade* came out[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/film-on-1984-wins-national-award/articleshow/46683373.cms). The BBC's Punjabi service later wrote that the film had performed well at the box office at the time of its release[8](https://bbc.com.im/punjabi/articles/crlw6lp865do). The Tribune called it a milestone for the industry and the second Punjabi film in recent times, after *Nabbar*, to bring laurels to [Punjabi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/punjabi-cinema)[9](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/amritsar/-punjab-1984-excelsin-punjabi-cinema-59078).
Audience response has remained strong: the film holds an IMDb rating of 8.3 from about 3,100 votes[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/punjab-1984), and Rotten Tomatoes lists a 90% Tomatometer from a single reviewed critic and more than 100 audience ratings[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984). Critic Anupama Chopra of Film Companion wrote that the film "has a lot of emotion, a lot of tragedy"[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984).
## Place in films about 1984
Punjab 1984 is part of a small body of Hindi and Punjabi cinema that has addressed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and their aftermath; an academic survey in *Sikh Formations* analyzed it alongside *Maachis*, *Hawayein*, *Des Hoyaa Pardes*, and *Sadda Haq*[10](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17448727.2015.1109217). Diljit Dosanjh later returned to the period twice: in [Ali Abbas Zafar](https://www.edgepedia.org/ali-abbas-zafar)'s 2022 film *Jogi*, about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and in *[Satluj](https://www.edgepedia.org/satluj-film)* (originally titled *Punjab 95*), based on the human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra[6](https://www.punjabijagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-diljit-dosanjh-has-witnessed-the-sikh-massacre-even-before-satluj-soul-will-tremble-after-watching-these-2-films-available-on-ott-9652505.html).
The contrast with *Satluj* is sharp. While Punjab 1984 won a national award and performed well commercially, *Satluj* could not secure a theatrical release and was removed from the ZEE5 streaming platform shortly after appearing there[8](https://bbc.com.im/punjabi/articles/crlw6lp865do). The BBC framed the two films as different outcomes for cinema about the Punjab of the 1980s and 1990s[8](https://bbc.com.im/punjabi/articles/crlw6lp865do).
## Availability
The film runs 159 minutes in the versions listed by streaming guides and carries a UA 13+ age rating in India[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/punjab-1984). Streaming availability varies by platform and date: [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) listed it on Vi movies and tv and the Chaupal Amazon Channel as of its August 2026 check[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/punjab-1984), while other guides have listed Prime Video, MX Player, YuppTV, and VZY[3](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/punjab-1984-366738.html) • [11](https://www.komparify.com/entertainment/movie/punjab-1984). A UK release was cut for classification, with a distributor reducing one scene of violence to obtain a 12A certificate[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3607198).
## References
1. [National Awards: Punjab 1984 is best Punjabi film, Hindustan Times (24 March 2015)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/national-awards-punjab-1984-is-best-punjabi-film/story-CgRYalB9erxroUCz67NUMK.html)
2. [Punjab 1984, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/punjab_1984)
3. [Punjab 1984 Movie (2014), Digit Binge](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/punjab-1984-366738.html)
4. [Punjab 1984 (Punjabi), review by Namrata Joshi, Outlook India](https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/art-entertainment/punjab-1984-punjabi-news-291271)
5. [Punjab 1984 streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/punjab-1984)
6. [Diljit Dosanjh and films on the 1984 riots, Punjabi Jagran (8 July 2026)](https://www.punjabijagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-diljit-dosanjh-has-witnessed-the-sikh-massacre-even-before-satluj-soul-will-tremble-after-watching-these-2-films-available-on-ott-9652505.html)
7. [Film on 1984 wins National Award, The Times of India (25 March 2015)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/film-on-1984-wins-national-award/articleshow/46683373.cms)
8. [Diljit Dosanjh's Punjab 1984 won a national award but Satluj was removed, BBC News Punjabi (10 July 2026)](https://bbc.com.im/punjabi/articles/crlw6lp865do)
9. ['Punjab 1984' excels in Punjabi cinema, The Tribune (26 March 2015)](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/amritsar/-punjab-1984-excelsin-punjabi-cinema-59078)
10. [Representations of the 1984 Tragedy in Punjabi Cinema, Sikh Formations](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17448727.2015.1109217)
11. [Punjab 1984, where to watch, Komparify](https://www.komparify.com/entertainment/movie/punjab-1984)
12. [Punjab 1984 (2014), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3607198)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Films in other Indian languages*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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