I stand firmly with Diljit: Naseeruddin Shah on 'Sardaar Ji 3' controversy

Movie trade veteran Naseeruddin Shah on Monday defended Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh amid the backlash over Pakistani actor Hania Aamir’s position in Dosanjh’s movie Sardaar Ji 3, saying casting is just not the actor-musician’s duty.

The row started final week after Dosanjh shared the trailer of Sardaar Ji 3, which made its debut in abroad territories on 27 June however skipped launch in India, even though that is anticipated to affect a minimum of 40 per cent of the movie’s income, in keeping with media reviews.

A number of social media customers have known as for a ban on Dosanjh, whereas commerce unions just like the All Indian Cine Employees Affiliation (AICWA) and the Federation of Western lndia Cine Staff (FWICE) have criticised the Punjabi actor-musician for collaborating with Aamir within the wake of the 22 April Pahalgam terror assault, which India has maintained was perpetrated by Pakistan-backed terror teams.

Nonetheless, Sardaar Ji 3, directed by Amar Hundal and in addition starring Neeru Bajwa, was shot earlier than the 22 April assault.

Curiously sufficient, in a collection of X posts on 27 June, BJP nationwide spokesperson R.P Singh got here out strongly in assist of Dosanjh, describing him as a “nationwide asset” and “FWICE’s name to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident movie shoot” as not solely “unfair however shockingly disproportionate”.

Shah, who will characteristic alongside Dosanjh in filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s subsequent movie, shared a submit on his official Fb web page, saying he firmly stands with Dosanjh on the difficulty.

The veteran actor, identified for taking a stand on pertinent points, mentioned if somebody needed to be blamed for casting Aamir within the film, then it ought to be the movie’s director.

“I STAND FIRMLY WITH DILJIT. The soiled methods deptt of the Jumla Get together has been awaiting an opportunity to assault him. They suppose they’ve acquired it eventually. He was not chargeable for the casting of the movie; the director was. However nobody is aware of who he’s, whereas Diljit is thought the world over, and he agreed to the forged as a result of his thoughts is just not poisoned,” Shah wrote.

Shah additional mentioned he has shut kinfolk and associates in Pakistan and nobody can cease him from assembly them.

“What these goons need is to place an finish to non-public interplay between the folks of India and Pakistan. I’ve shut kinfolk and a few expensive associates there and nobody can cease me from assembly them or sending them love every time I really feel prefer it. And my response to those that will say ‘Go to Pakistan’ is ‘GO TO KAILASA’,” he wrote.

Imtiaz Ali, who earlier directed Dosanjh within the critically-acclaimed 2024 movie Amar Singh Chamkila, additionally got here out in assist of the actor at an occasion final week.

“Since I do know Diljit, I can say that us mein deshbhakti ka jazbaa poora bhara hua hai (he’s a patriot by and thru). He’s a son of the soil. You’ll be able to see in any respect his concert events, he exhibits up with the Indian flag.

“He’s not a man who fakes issues… Nobody requested him to do it. On the finish of all his concert events, he says, “foremost hoon Punjab”, with the Indian flag. I do not know the main points, however casting somebody is not the choice of the actor. I do not know the way it went, however I do know that uske andar desh prem bahut zyada hai (he loves his nation with all he has),” Ali mentioned.

In an interview with the BBC Asian Community final week, Dosanjh defended the choice to launch Sardaar Ji 3 in abroad territories. He additionally mentioned when he signed the movie, there was no bother between India and Pakistan.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror assault on 22 April, which claimed 26 lives. In retaliation, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes on 9 terror camps throughout Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on 7 Might, in an operation codenamed Operation Sindoor.

Within the aftermath, social media accounts of a number of Pakistani leisure trade professionals, together with Aamir, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, have been withheld in India. A number of commerce organisations additionally reiterated their name for a ban on Pakistani artists within the Indian movie trade.

With company inputs