Ajay Devgn urges dialogue amid 'Sardaar Ji 3'-controversy

When there are two differing points of view, you need to sit down and resolve issues through conversation, actor Ajay Devgn said on Friday while responding to the controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh’s film "Sardaar Ji 3", which has drawn criticism for featuring Pakistani star Hania Aamir.

The Punjabi film courted a huge controversy last month after Dosanjh shared the trailer of "Sardaar Ji 3", which made its debut in overseas territories on June 27 and skipped release in India.

Many social media users have called for a ban on Dosanjh, while politicians and trade unions like the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) and the Federation of Western lndia Cine Employees (FWICE) have criticised the Punjabi actor-musician for collaborating with Aamir in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.

"I don’t know where the trolling comes from (or) what is right and what is wrong. I’m not in his shoes to comment on that. He would’ve had his problems, and people are thinking from their point of view.

"So, when you've two different points of view, then you can sit and solve it out together. I'll not blame anybody or say that, this is right or wrong; they need a conversation," Devgn told reporters at the trailer launch press conference of “Son of Sardaar 2”.

At the event, Devgn was also asked about the ongoing language row in Maharashtra. The controversy started after the Maharashtra government made it compulsory for state-run primary schools to teach Hindi as a third language, apart from English and Marathi.

"The only answer I’ll give you about the language thing which is going on is ‘Aata Maaji Satakli’,” Devgn said, referring to the popular dialogue from his hit "Singham" franchise.

The “Raid 2” actor said he is thrilled about returning to the comedy genre after six years with “Son of Sardaar 2”.

“I didn’t realise I’m doing comedy after six years, but it was a lot of fun doing this film. The script was very funny. When we decided to do ‘Son of Sardaar 2’, the important thing was that the humour quotient had to be more than the first part, and we are glad we cracked that kind of a script,” Devgn said.

“Son of Sardaar” was helmed by Ashwni Dhir and starred Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Sonakshi Sinha as well as Mukul Dev, who died in May this year at the age of 54.

The first part revolved around Jaswinder "Jassi" Singh Randhawa (Devgn), who returns to his village in Punjab after spending years in London to sell ancestral property. But things take an unexpected turn.

In the trailer of the upcoming sequel, Devgn's character is seen mimicking Sunny Deol's character from “Border” in one of the sequences.

“He is my neighbour. When we were young, Bobby and I were growing up together, and Sunny paaji was someone whom we respected and looked up to. We still talk about the punch he gives on screen; nobody can beat him,” the actor said.

Directed by Vijay Kumar Arora, "Son of Sardaar 2" also stars Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Mrunal Thakur, Chunky Panday, Vindu Dara Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Ashwini Kalsekar, Kubbra Sait, Roshni Walia, and Sharat Saxena.

Produced by Devgn alongside Jyoti Deshpande, N R Pachisia and Pravin Talreja, the movie is set to release on July 25.