Diljit Dosanjh defends decision to release ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ in overseas territories only

Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh has defended his decision to release “Sardaar Ji 3” in the overseas territories amid controversy over the casting of Pakistani actor Hania Aamir.

The row started earlier this week after Dosanjh shared the trailer of "Sardaar Ji 3", which will be released abroad on June 27.

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

In an interview with the BBC Asian Network, Dosanjh said when he signed the movie, there was no trouble between India and Pakistan.

The film's producers are already facing losses as the film won’t come out in India due to ban on Pakistani artists and in such a scenario, it is justified to release overseas, he added.

"When this film was made, the situation was fine... We shot it in February and everything was going well at that time. Look, there are a lot of things, big things, that are not in our control. So the producers decided that obviously, now this film won’t release in India, so let’s release it overseas,” Dosanjh said.

Hostilities between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives. In retaliation, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7, in an operation codenamed Operation Sindoor.

In the aftermath, social media accounts of many Pakistani actors, including Hania, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, were withheld in India. Many trade organisations also reiterated their call for a ban on Pakistani artists in the Indian film industry.

Dosanjh said the producers have invested a “a lot of money” in “Sardaar Ji 3” and they had not “anticipated” a rise in tensions between the two countries.

“So it’s okay, now they already have it in their minds that there will be a loss, 100 per cent because you're removing an entire territory. So, even when I signed the film, everything was fine. And now, the situation isn’t in our hands. So if they want to release it abroad, then I’m with them,” he said.

Directed by Amar Hundal, "Sardaar Ji 3" is produced by Gunbir Singh Sidhu and Manmord Sidhu of White Hill Studios alongside Story Time Productions.