SCO Summit: India refuses to sign statement excluding Pahalgam attack reference
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The big talking point of this episode of Democratic Newsroom is the raging controversy over Diljit Dosanjh's collaboration with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir for his upcoming movie 'Sardaar Ji 3'.
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Mint
43 minutes ago
- Mint
Neeru Bajwa deletes Sardaar Ji 3 posts amid backlash over casting of Pakistani actor Hania Aamir
Amid the growing controversy surrounding Sardaar Ji 3, actor Neeru Bajwa has deleted all promotional posts related to the film from her social media accounts. The move comes in the wake of backlash over the casting of Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in the film, which also stars Diljit Dosanjh. Since the April terror attack in Pahalgam, Indian film bodies have reiterated a complete ban on collaborations with Pakistani artistes. Sardaar Ji 3, though not releasing in India, has been facing criticism for its overseas rollout and Hania's involvement. Neeru, one of the most prominent faces in Punjabi cinema and a Canadian national, was recently seen promoting the film alongside Diljit in the UK, but has now stepped back from the campaign online. Speaking to NDTV, producer Gunbir Singh Sidhu clarified that the film was shot earlier this year, before the Pahalgam attack and before any restrictions were in place. 'There was no restriction from the Government of India or any other institution,' he said, adding that the team decided not to release the film in India to avoid hurting public sentiment. 'We did not put the trailer on YouTube in India, nor did we do any promotional activities here.' Sidhu also addressed Pakistani actor Hania Aamir's widely criticised remarks following India's Operation Sindoor, which was conducted in response to the Pahalgam incident. 'They [Hania and Mahira Khan] should not have made such statements. She hit below the belt,' he said. 'We've now decided we will not work with any Pakistani artist moving forward.' He acknowledged that not releasing the film in India had financial consequences. 'We've lost about 40% of our revenue,' he stated. Diljit Dosanjh also responded to the backlash in a recent interview with BBC Asian Network. 'This film was shot in February. A lot happened after that which was out of our control,' he said. 'The producers realised they can't release the film in India anymore. But they had invested a lot and decided to go ahead with overseas distribution.' On working with Hania Aamir, Diljit said, 'She's very professional. I keep to myself mostly.' Sardaar Ji 3 joins a growing list of cross-border projects facing opposition. Earlier this year, Abir Gulaal starring Fawad Khan was banned from release in India following similar protests. The film, which marked Fawad's return to Indian screens after 2016's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, was pulled just weeks before release.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Neeru Bajwa UNFOLLOWS Hania Aamir and DELETES all posts of Diljit Dosanjh-starrer ‘Sardaar Ji 3' amid backlash?
'Sardaar Ji 3', starring Diljit Dosanjh , Neeru Bajwa , and Hania Aamir, is facing heavy backlash for the casting of the Pakistani actress. The film has faced intense criticism online, with many accusing the makers of the film of being insensitive by including a Pakistani star amid India-Pakistan tensions. Just a day before the film's overseas release on 27 June, fans noticed that Neeru Bajwa has deleted all posts related to the film from her Instagram profile. This sudden move has left the internet buzzing, with many wondering if she's quietly distancing herself from the project. Neeru Bajwa's Instagram clean-up It all started when a Reddit user shared a post from the Instagram page 'Lollywoodspace', claiming that Neeru Bajwa had removed every post related to 'Sardaar Ji 3'. The post also suggested that she unfollowed her co-star Hania Aamir on Instagram. However, Etimes noted could not independently verify this part of the claim. Neeru's most recent post now features the teaser of her next film 'Son Of Sardaar 2', but there's no sign of anything related to 'Sardaar Ji 3' anymore. This move caught fans' attention and sparked a wave of reactions online. One Reddit user said, 'I remember Neeru Bajwa being one of the few Punjabi actors who applauded operation sindoor and Sofiya Qureshi," while another praised her by writing, 'This is Brave on Neeru's part! Respect to her!" A third user added, 'Just saw comment under Neeru's Insta posts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search ads Learn More Undo Girl is getting so much hate from the pakis and diljit fans!" while someone else wrote, 'At least someone showing someone has some spine." Check out the post here Diljit Dosanjh weighed in on the casting Hania While Neeru has not made any public statement yet, Diljit r recently opened up about the matter in a chat with BBC Asian Network. Talking about the controversy for the first time, he said, 'Jab yeh film bani thi, tab sab theek tha… Producers ka paisa laga hua hai… Film bann chuki thi before tensions started." He also shared that he supports the producers' choice to go ahead with the overseas release, adding that they've already invested a lot and now face financial risks. About the film Directed by Amar Hundal, 'Sardaar Ji 3' is a horror-comedy where ghost hunters, played by Diljit and Hania, deal with spooky events inside a haunted mansion in the UK. Neeru Bajwa also plays a key role in the film. However, amid the ongoing backlash, the film is not releasing in India. It will only be shown in international cinemas starting 27 June.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Manish Tewari on Emergency: Internal siege, external forces
It has often crossed my mind that in the wake of the infamy of the internal Emergency imposed by the then Congress government five decades ago, the history of the period from December 16, 1971, to June 25, 1975, has never perhaps been properly documented. Was there a context to that decision that has never been clinically explored? This is by no means a defence of the Emergency. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, speaking at a public meeting on January 24, 1978 in Yavatmal, Maharashtra admitted to a lapse of judgement and said that she was taking the 'entire responsibility for the same'. She added that even if others responsible for mistakes and excesses were not willing to own up, she would own the responsibility for those mistakes. She, however, reminded the audience that the situation just before the imposition of the Emergency was grave, and the survival of the nation was threatened. If things were allowed to continue, the situation that had developed in Bangladesh would have been repeated in India. What was this situation the late PM was referring to? December 1971 had been India's finest hour. The map of South Asia was redrawn after 1947 with the force of Indian arms, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. Pakistan, a nation created in the name of faith, had been dismembered because it could not keep people of the same faith, who were linguistically distinct, within its fold. With that, the two-nation theory was consigned to the dustbin of history. A genocide being perpetrated by the Pakistan army on its hapless citizens in the eastern part of the country under the aegis of Operation Searchlight, which commenced on March 26, 1971, was halted after the Pakistan army was bludgeoned into a historic surrender of over 90,000 officers and soldiers. This event sent shockwaves in influential capitals around the world that believed that only they had the monopoly to shape the global order. The world then was divided into two power blocs — the West, led by the US, and the Eastern Bloc, led by the Soviet Union. India was 'officially' non-aligned but with a perceived tilt towards the Eastern bloc. However, within the Eastern bloc, there were deep cleavages, with China trying to outcompete the Soviet Union for ideological leadership. The seven-month-long Sino-Soviet border war had ended just two years earlier, to the detriment of China. Two things happened in the monsoon of 1971. In July, Henry Kissinger visited Peking, as it was then known — a trip arranged by the then Pakistani dictator, Field Marshal Yahya Khan. A month later, India signed a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the situation in East Pakistan continued to deteriorate, and millions of refugees crossed the border into India. Archer Blood, the US consul general in Dhaka, sent a series of telegrams and memos to the State Department in Washington documenting the genocide and urging Washington to act. However, such entreaties fell on deaf ears as the Richard Nixon-Kissinger duo, grateful for Pakistani help in opening the doors to China, refused to intervene to stop the atrocities in East Pakistan. Things came to a head in mid-December 1971 when the US government dispatched Task Force 74, comprising ships from the Seventh Fleet and led by the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, to sail at battle speed to the Bay of Bengal from the Gulf of Tonkin, where it was deployed for operations in the Vietnam War. The British navy also dispatched a naval group led by the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle towards India's west coast. The objective was to stop Dhaka from falling into Indian hands. Invoking Article Nine of the Indo-Soviet Treaty, India requested the Soviet Union's help. The Soviets responded with alacrity. The 10th Operative Battle Group (Pacific Fleet) reached the Bay of Bengal and stared down the Anglo-American flotilla. By the time the war ended in December 1971, India was facing a hostile and dismembered Pakistan, a humiliated US and a burgeoning US-Pakistan-China alliance inimical to both the Soviet Union and India. Around the world, CIA-KGB covert wars were raging. The CIA's complicity in the overthrow of Chilean president Salvador Allende is now well documented. The Indian success in creating Bangladesh animated anti-neo-imperialist solidarity around the world, especially the struggle of the Vietnamese against the US. India did two more things. It audaciously gatecrashed the exclusive club of nuclear weapon states by carrying out a nuclear test on May 18, 1974. Though classified as a peaceful nuclear explosion (PNE), the implications of Smiling Buddha were lost on nobody. On May 16, 1975, Delhi again redrew the political map of South Asia by merging Sikkim into India, taking advantage of Mao Zedong's weakening grip on China. Meanwhile, the cost of war had started impacting the Indian economy. Inflation and food shortages were creating disaffection among people. It gave the Opposition a chance to mobilise public opinion against Mrs Gandhi. Every successful wartime leader has to pay a price for leading a nation during a crisis. Winston Churchill also lost a general election within two months of winning World War II in Europe. Was there a ubiquitous 'foreign hand' in the internal disturbances that India experienced in 1974-1975, as Mrs Gandhi repeatedly emphasised? There has been no in-depth scholarship that has examined the three-and-a-half years between December 1971 and June 1975. Mrs Gandhi referred to Bangladesh in the Yavatmal speech. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated on August 15, 1975. Could the Emergency have been avoided, and was there a smarter way of handling things? Only a cold, dispassionate and clinical analysis of the global and domestic events leading up to it can perhaps provide an answer. The writer is a lawyer, third-term MP and former minister
