Truth, crime and virality: BBC documentary ignites debate, draws millions

A two-part BBC documentary, The Killing Call, has taken YouTube by storm. In under 24 hours of being uploaded, each part has been viewed by millions, and counting. What fuels this widespread interest isn't that the film presents truths stranger than fiction. Rather, it lies in the documentary’s methodical, polished, and factual presentation of events that are already a focal point in everyday discussions throughout Punjab.

One of the key factors behind the documentary’s sudden popularity may be the objections raised by the late Punjabi icon Sidhu Moosewala’s father Balkor Singh, who has expressed dissatisfaction on several fronts.

First, he has claimed that the filmmakers did not take his permission to explore his son’s life and untimely death, and has filed a formal complaint at Mumbai's Juhu police station to that effect. He has also approached Mansa district court apprehending that the release of the documentary could compromise or prejudice an ongoing judicial trial of his son’s murder.

Ignoring the objections raised by Singh, the BBC went ahead and released the documentary on YouTube on 11 June at 5.30 am IST, deliberately timing it to coincide with the birth anniversary of Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala. Interestingly, the release was aligned with midnight GMT, marking the official start of Moosewala’s birthday globally. Meanwhile, in his native village, a birthday event had been organised in the singer's memory.

Just a day after its release, the case came up for hearing in Mansa district court. On Thursday, 12 June, during the proceedings, the court declined to issue a stay order against the documentary. However, it directed the filmmakers to submit their response to the objections by 16 June. By then, it was evident that the viewership of the film would have increased exponentially.

The Killing Call does more than merely trace the events leading up to Moosewala’s murder. It delves deeper into the troubling nexus between Punjab’s booming music industry and the increasingly powerful criminal networks operating within and beyond the region.

One of the most striking aspects of the film is that BBC reporter Ishleen Kaur succeeded in securing an interview with gangster Goldy Brar, who is believed to have masterminded the killing from Canada. The documentary includes audio clips from that conversation, in which Brar not only admits to orchestrating the murder but also explains his motive.

The legal proceedings in the Moosewala murder case are still underway with several key questions yet to be answered. As the trial progresses, these audio clips of Brar are likely to become significant.

Yet, the larger and more unsettling question persists: will the long arm of the law ever be able to reach Brar, the man believed to be the central figure behind the Moosewala assassination and who continues to operate from thousands of miles away in Canada?

Despite the seriousness of the crime and the international attention it has drawn, Punjab Police seem to have little concrete information about Brar's current whereabouts or operational networks. For now, he remains beyond the reach of Indian law enforcement — a fugitive in plain sight, protected by distance, legal complexities and international jurisdictional hurdles.