India, July 17 -- The removal of Diljit Dosanjh starrer Satlaj (formally titled Punjab '95) within 48 hours of its release reignited conversations around censorship and creative freedom in Indian cinema. The decision has found little favour within the film fraternity, with several actors and filmmakers questioning the withdrawal of a certified film and backing its makers. Actor Tillotama Shome believes the larger challenges confronting filmmakers, from censorship to questions of audience acceptance, have existed across generations, and that storytelling has always found a way to endure.

Speaking to us, Tillotama says she has experienced those uncertainties firsthand. Long before Indian audiences embraced her through Sir and projects such...