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

Film industry veteran Naseeruddin Shah on Monday defended Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh amid the backlash over Pakistani actor Hania Aamir's role in Dosanjh's film Sardaar Ji 3, saying casting is not the actor-musician’s responsibility.

The row began last week after Dosanjh shared the trailer of Sardaar Ji 3, which made its debut in overseas territories on 27 June but skipped release in India, despite the fact that this is expected to impact at least 40 per cent of the film's revenue, according to media reports.

Several social media users have called for a ban on Dosanjh, while 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 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, which India has maintained was perpetrated by Pakistan-backed terror groups.

However, Sardaar Ji 3, directed by Amar Hundal and also starring Neeru Bajwa, was shot before the 22 April attack.

Interestingly enough, in a series of X posts on 27 June, BJP national spokesperson R.P Singh came out strongly in support of Dosanjh, describing him as a "national asset" and "FWICE's call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot" as not only "unfair but shockingly disproportionate".

.@diljitdosanjh is not just a celebrated artist—he's a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture. FWICE’s call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot is not only unfair but shockingly disproportionate.

The film featuring a…

— RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) June 27, 2025

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Shah, who will feature alongside Dosanjh in filmmaker Imtiaz Ali's next film, shared a post on his official Facebook page, saying he firmly stands with Dosanjh on the issue.

The veteran actor, known for taking a stand on pertinent issues, said if someone had to be blamed for casting Aamir in the movie, then it should be the film's director.

"I STAND FIRMLY WITH DILJIT. The dirty tricks deptt of the Jumla Party has been awaiting a chance to attack him. They think they’ve got it at last. He was not responsible for the casting of the film; the director was. But no one knows who he is, whereas Diljit is known the world over, and he agreed to the cast because his mind is not poisoned," Shah wrote.

Shah further said he has close relatives and friends in Pakistan and no one can stop him from meeting them.

“What these goons want is to put an end to personal interaction between the people of India and Pakistan. I have close relatives and some dear friends there and no one can stop me from meeting them or sending them love whenever I feel like it. And my response to those who will say 'Go to Pakistan' is 'GO TO KAILASA'," he wrote.

Imtiaz Ali, who earlier directed Dosanjh in the critically-acclaimed 2024 film Amar Singh Chamkila, also came out in support of the actor at an event last week.

I will always call a spade a spade: Naseeruddin Shah

"Since I know Diljit, I can say that us mein deshbhakti ka jazbaa poora bhara hua hai (he is a patriot through and through). He is a son of the soil. You can see at all his concerts, he shows up with the Indian flag.

"He is not a guy who fakes things... No one asked him to do it. At the end of all his concerts, he says, "main hoon Punjab", with the Indian flag. I don't know the details, but casting someone isn't the decision of the actor. I don't know how it went, but I know that uske andar desh prem bahut zyada hai (he loves his country with all he has)," Ali said.

In an interview with the BBC Asian Network last week, Dosanjh defended the decision to release Sardaar Ji 3 in overseas territories. He also said when he signed the film, there was no trouble between India and Pakistan.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, 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 7 May, in an operation codenamed Operation Sindoor.

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

With agency inputs