Diljit Dosanjh defends Sardaar Ji 3, calls Hania Aamir 'very professional'

Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has addressed the controversy surrounding his latest film Sardaar Ji 3, which will not be released in India following backlash over the casting of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir.

Two major Indian film industry associations — the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) and the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) — have condemned the casting of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in the upcoming film Sardaar Ji 3, starring and co-produced by Indian singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh.

The film is set to premiere overseas this Friday.

The 87-hour military confrontation, which unfolded in May, was sparked by unprovoked missile strikes by India inside Pakistan's territory. In response, the Pakistan Army launched a retaliatory operation codenamed Bunyan-um-Marsoos (Iron Wall), which saw the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) downing at least six Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Rafale aircraft.

A collaboration between Hania and Diljit first sparked interest when she was spotted at his concert in London last year, where he invited her on stage and praised her publicly. Soon after, reports surfaced that she would star alongside him in the next instalment of his popular Sardaar Ji film series.

However, speaking to the BBC Asian Network, Diljit said the situation between Pakistan and India was stable during the film’s production earlier this year in February.

“When the film was being made, the situation was OK… a lot has happened since then, but those things are beyond our control,” he said.

Dosanjh said the decision not to release the film in India was made by the producers in light of the backlash. “The producers decided that the film won’t be able to release in India, but it can release overseas,” he said.

“They’ve already put a lot of money into the film, and when it was made, none of this had happened. Now they’re looking at a loss,” the Punjabi actor said.

Speaking about working with Hania Aamir, the singer-actor said they did not share much screen time but described her as “very professional”.

This is not the first time cross-border artistic collaborations have sparked political and cultural backlash in India. Restrictions on Pakistani artists have been periodically enforced since 2016.

Recently, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who starred alongside Vaani Kapoor in yet-to-be-released Abir Gulaal, also suffered a setback in the wake of recent tensions between Pakistan and India as the movie was stalled. There have been no reports on when the film is going to be released.

Meanwhile, other Pakistani stars such as Mahira Khan and Mawra Hocan — who starred in Bollywood's Raees and Sanam Teri Kasam, respectively — faced backlash as their images were removed from the posters and covers of movie songs available online following the deterioration of ties between Pakistan and India.