Hania Aamir's Sardaar Ji 3 set for release in Pakistan after skipping India screening

After skipping release in India in the aftermath of recent tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, the highly anticipated Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Hania Aamir, is set to release in Pakistan tomorrow (Friday).

Taking to her Instagram account, the actress shared a poster announcing that the Indian film, in which she stars, would be released across the country tomorrow.

The film was approved for screening throughout Pakistan by the censor board.

After being objected by the film bodies and backlash from the local people over the casting of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir., the makers of Sardaar Ji 3 issued a statement, confirming that the film won't be released in India.

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

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.

Speaking to the BBC Asian Network earlier this week, 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 had said.

Dosanjh had 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 had said.