Diljit Dosanjh shelves ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ India release amid backlash over Pakistani co-star

Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh has decided not to release his film Sardaar Ji 3 in India after facing criticism over casting Pakistani actress Hania Aamir. His team says the move aims to respect public sentiment and protect the film’s producers.

Mumbai: Global superstar Diljit Dosanjh has decided not to release his controversial film ‘Sardaar ji 3’ in India after the backlash around the inclusion of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir.

On Tuesday, Diljit’s manager Sonali Singh took to her Instagram, and shared a long note in which she said that Diljit has decided not to release the film in India.

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She started her note saying that in a career spanning over two decades, Diljit Dosanjh has become a cultural icon not only for India but for the global stage. Yet, time and again, he has been placed under the scanner especially as a “proud Sikh, a Punjabi, and an artist who has chosen to represent India with quiet pride rather than loud declarations”.

She wrote, “This recent wave of criticism surrounding his upcoming Punjabi film Sardaar Ji, due to the presence of a Pakistani co-star, is both disheartening and unfair especially considering the timing and the nature of the project. The film was shot long before the current political climate intensified”.

She called it a project funded by “innocent families of the producers” with their “personal life savings, and made to uplift the regional film industry”. To attempt to derail this release now is to undermine not just one actor, but an entire creative ecosystem.

She further mentioned, “It’s not a film backed by a giant corporate house that can absorb the blow of massive losses. This is someone’s life’s earnings and it’s at risk of being wiped out entirely”.

Sonali then pointed to another Diljit film, ‘Punjab 95’ whose release has been delayed for over two years as the censor board has not given clearance to the film. In ‘Punjab 95’, Diljit essays the role of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who fought for the dignity of innocent Punjabis who were recklessly picked by Punjab police during the state’s counter-insurgency program after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

She continued, “And yet in the face of it all Diljit has chosen to respect the sentiments of the Indian public and authorities. He is not releasing the film in India, standing in alignment with the nation’s current mood, showing once again that he honours the decisions of his own country even at a personal and professional cost. Yes, this decision will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the business of the film but Diljit isn’t thinking of himself. All he’s trying to do is mitigate the losses as much as he can for the producers, for the crew, for the families whose livelihoods are tied to this film while still balancing the emotions and respect this country deserves”.

She claimed that this isn’t easy for him but he is doing it because it’s what he believes is right. And like always, he’s choosing love. He’s choosing others over himself. IANS