Amid the ongoing backlash surrounding Diljit Dosanjh's 'Sardaar Ji 3', filmmaker Ashoke Pandit has come forward to share his views and said that "we are appealing to our producer bodies that please don't cast him (Diljit Dosanjh)". Diljit has found himself on the receiving end of a social media backlash after the trailer of his upcoming Punjabi film, 'Sardaar Ji 3', which features Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, dropped online.
Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has sent a letter to the Chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), to "withhold certification of the Film "Sardaarji 3" containing Pakistani artists."
The controversy comes in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, followed by India's Operation Sindoor on May 7, in which air strikes were carried out on terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Several Pakistani artists, including Hania Aamir, had their social media accounts made no longer accessible in India following the ghastly Pahalgam attack.
Since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel, FWICE has consistently enforced a blanket ban on Pakistani artists, including actors, musicians, and technicians, within the Indian film industry.
Ashoke Pandit calls Diljit 'compulsive, regular lawbreaker'
In a conversation with ANI, Pandit talked about the entire controversy surrounding Diljit and said, "Federation of Western India Cine Employees had issued a notice of non-cooperation after the Pulwama attack. All the people will not participate with any Pakistani performer. Be it a producer, a director, a singer or a music director. No craft will involve them. If a technician works with them, it's not only actors or performers, even the technicians will be boycotted. We issued a notice of non-cooperation on the first day of the Pulwama attack. After that, we reiterated all the attacks, that our notice is still valid. We have not changed or withdrawn it. When the trailer of 'Sardaar Ji 3', was released, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, which is the mother body of 36 crafts, immediately wrote a letter to CBFC and I&B Ministry, that this film should not get a census certificate, and it should not be released here."
"Hopefully, CBFC will agree with us, " he continued, "Because I& B Ministry itself issued a notice, in which they said that if anyone participates with a Pakistani performer, we will not let his things come out. They will not get permission."
He called the singer-actor a "compulsive, regular lawbreaker", who has always "promoted Pakistani performers", saying, "The matter is very serious because Diljit Dosanjh is a compulsive, regular lawbreaker, as far as our industry is concerned. He has always promoted Pakistani performers, Pakistani singers, Pakistani actors. He knows the reason. When the industry is appealing to him, and there is no need to appeal to the industry, when it comes to the nation, the integrity of the nation, the internal security of the nation, even then, this person makes the same mistake again and again."
'Don't work with Diljit, boycott him'
"The matter is very serious, because Diljit Dosanjh is a compulsive, regular lawbreaker, as far as our industry is concerned. He has always promoted Pakistani performers, Pakistani singers, Pakistani actors. He knows the reason. When the industry is appealing to him, and there is no need to appeal to the industry, when it comes to the nation, the integrity of the nation, the internal security of the nation, even then, this person makes the same mistake again and again. We will issue another notice, where we are appealing to our producer bodies, to all the members of the producer association, that please don't cast him, please don't work with him. And apart from this, all the event companies, we are writing to them, that in any of their events, don't let him participate, don't hire his services. It is very important to boycott him from this country," added the filmmaker.
Meanwhile, sharing the trailer of the horror-comedy franchise on his Instagram on Monday, Diljit announced that the film will release exclusively overseas on June 27.
Diljit captioned the trailer post, "Sardaar Ji 3 releasing 27th June OVERSEAS only. FADH LAO BHOOND DIAN LATTAN." The comments section of the actor's social media platform quickly turned into a storm of angry reactions, with Indian netizens expressing their disappointment over his decision to work with a Pakistani artist, amidst tensions between the two countries.
The trailer of 'Sardaar Ji 3' is currently not on YouTube India but has been shared by Diljit on his Instagram page.
