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Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Sardaar Ji 3' thrives without Indian screens
Diljit Dosanjh's latest horror-comedy, Sardaar Ji 3, co-starring Hania Aamir, has rewritten Punjabi cinema history - without ever screening in India. The third instalment of the popular Sardaar Ji franchise premiered internationally on June 27, grossing approximately USD5 million in just 10 days from overseas markets, making it the top-grossing Punjabi film of the year. Despite being blocked in India, Sardaar Ji 3 posted strong numbers across North America, the UK, the Gulf, and Pakistan. According to Hindustan Times, the film registered the third-highest global opening for a Punjabi-language title, trailing only behind Jatt & Juliet 3. If momentum continues, Sardaar Ji 3 may become the highest-grossing Punjabi film in international markets. The film also released in Pakistan, where sold-out screenings were reported. However, box office numbers were not recorded over the opening weekend due to cinema closures during Muharram. The decision to skip Indian cinemas followed rising political tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. After regulatory film bodies urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to withhold approval, the film's trailer was geo-blocked in India. Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) were among collectives who slammed collaboration with Pakistani artists. AICWA insisted that the Indian film industry "stand united and not associate with Diljit in any professional capacity," while some voices accused the singer-actor of "working with a terrorist" - a reference to Hania's casting. In the wake of the controversy, speculation was rife that Diljit had been removed from the upcoming film Border 2. However, the Punjabi star was quick to dispel rumours. In a behind-the-scenes video later posted to Instagram, Diljit was also spotted on the set of No Entry 2, seen laughing with co-stars Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, and Mona Singh. In an interview with Haroon Rashid on BBC Asian Network, Diljit defended his choice to work with Hania. "When this film was being made, the [political] situation was fine," he said, citing financial risk from blocking international release. Diljit maintained that producers had already lost "a lot of money" after refusing to release film in India. "But the situation is out of our hands, and [the producers] have my full support," he added. When asked about sharing the screen with Hania, the actor-singer had only good things to say. "My experience with Hania was very good," stated Diljit in a short but sweet commendation. "She was professional when we were working. We didn't have that much time together, though." Completing the film's leading trio is Canadian-Punjabi actor Neeru Bajwa of Jatt & Juliet fame who was quick to unfollow Hania on Instagram amid backlash. Neeru also appeared to have removed all promotional material for Sardaar Ji 3 from her IG grid. On the Pakistani side, celebrities including Mahira Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Zara Noor Abbas, Anoushey Ashraf, and Aiman Khan took to social media to praise Hania and express support for the collaboration.
Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
‘Sardaar Ji 3' thrives without Indian screens
Diljit Dosanjh's latest horror-comedy, Sardaar Ji 3, co-starring Hania Aamir, has rewritten Punjabi cinema history — without ever screening in India. The third instalment of the popular Sardaar Ji franchise premiered internationally on June 27, grossing approximately USD5 million in just 10 days from overseas markets, making it the top-grossing Punjabi film of the year. Despite being blocked in India, Sardaar Ji 3 posted strong numbers across North America, the UK, the Gulf, and Pakistan. According to Hindustan Times, the film registered the third-highest global opening for a Punjabi-language title, trailing only behind Jatt & Juliet 3. If momentum continues, Sardaar Ji 3 may become the highest-grossing Punjabi film in international markets. The film also released in Pakistan, where sold-out screenings were reported. However, box office numbers were not recorded over the opening weekend due to cinema closures during Muharram. The decision to skip Indian cinemas followed rising political tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. After regulatory film bodies urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to withhold approval, the film's trailer was geo-blocked in India. Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) were among collectives that slammed collaboration with Pakistani artists. AICWA insisted that the Indian film industry 'stand united and not associate with Diljit in any professional capacity,' while some voices accused the singer-actor of 'working with a terrorist' — a reference to Hania's casting. In the wake of the controversy, speculation was rife that Diljit had been removed from the upcoming film Border 2. However, the Punjabi star was quick to dispel rumours. In a behind-the-scenes video later posted to Instagram, Diljit was also spotted on the set of No Entry 2, seen laughing with co-stars Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, and Mona Singh. In an interview with Haroon Rashid on BBC Asian Network, Diljit defended his choice to work with Hania. "When this film was being made, the [political] situation was fine," he said, citing financial risk from blocking international release. Diljit maintained that producers had already lost "a lot of money" after refusing to release the film in India. "But the situation is out of our hands, and [the producers] have my full support," he added. When asked about sharing the screen with Hania, the actor-singer had only good things to say. "My experience with Hania was very good," stated Diljit in a short but sweet commendation. "She was professional when we were working. We didn't have that much time together, though.' Completing the film's leading trio is Canadian-Punjabi actor Neeru Bajwa of Jatt & Juliet fame who was quick to unfollow Hania on Instagram amid backlash. Neeru also appeared to have removed all promotional material for Sardaar Ji 3 from her IG grid. On the Pakistani side, celebrities including Mahira Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Zara Noor Abbas, Anoushey Ashraf, and Aiman Khan took to social media to praise Hania and express support for the collaboration. Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
Express Tribune
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Bushra has no time for Indian bans
Behind the camera, Bushra Ansari may have played a bitter mother-in-law to Hania Aamir's Sharjeena in Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum last year, but away from the world of fiction, this screen veteran has nothing but warm words of praise for Pakistan's fresh-faced young star — particularly in light of Indian backlash following the release of Bollywood film Sardaar Ji 3. "Our Hania is so talented, I don't know why these Indians are so afraid of her and blocking the film just because she is in it," mused the Deemak actor on her YouTube channel Busy B!. "So what if they picked a Pakistani actor for their film? Is it really necessary for you to go blocking her?" Praising her younger co-star's work ethic, Bushra noted that Hania is a committed actor bringing her A-game to the table whatever the circumstances. "It doesn't matter whether she is shooting in the summer or winter, she is always there devoted to her shooting without any fuss," said the veteran in her usual matter-of-fact way, and added, "Whether or not someone is earning ten rupees or a ten-million rupees, it doesn't matter — work is work, summer is summer, winter is winter! She has that dedication, I've seen it in her." Hania's presence alongside Diljit Dosanjh in Sardaar Ji has meant that the Pakistani star has borne the brunt of Indian rage — a fact that Bushra could not overlook in her video message. Mincing no words, she continued, "To my Indian friends, I would say this: stop behaving like children [...] If they have invested millions in the film, why are you so threatened by this young girl? Are you afraid of her talent? You shouldn't be! You have enough of your own talent, and it doesn't matter if they cast a Pakistani star this one time!" Supporting this one instance of cross-border collaboration, Bushra had one final no-nonsense piece of advice for her Indian cohorts: "You should have some principles in life!"
India Today
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Maturity over mob logic: What's behind BJP's surprise defence of Diljit Dosanjh?
As boycott calls against singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh swirled across social media, few expected the BJP to come out in his defence. After all, it wasn't Opposition parties or liberal commentators attacking the global Punjabi superstar—it was his own (Federation of Western India Cine Employees), the influential film workers' body, had condemned Dosanjh. Singer Mika Singh had called him a 'fake singer' while singer B Praak implied that Dosanjh had sold his conscience. And in perhaps the most telling sign of discomfort, his Sardaar Ji 3 co-star, Canadian-Punjabi actor Neeru Bajwa, unfollowed Pakistani actress Hania Aamir and deleted all promotional posts related to the this atmosphere of cultural policing, the BJP Punjab unit's decision to hold a press conference in Chandigarh defending Dosanjh surprised many—and revealed far more than it spark for the backlash was Sardaar Ji 3, a film shot largely in the UK before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir that had prompted a strong military and diplomatic response from India against Pakistan. The film, which cast Dosanjh opposite Hania, who was making her Punjabi film debut, was released overseas but withheld from Indian cinemas. Yet that gesture did little to calm tempers. The optics of a major Indian celebrity working alongside a Pakistani actress during a period of heightened military and political tensions with Islamabad became too much for a section of the Indian public, and outrage quickly spilled into calls for Dosanjh's citizenship to be Hania made provoking statements against India. Subsequently, the Instagram handles of Haina, Mahira Khan, Iqra Aziz, Ayeza Khan and several other Pakistani celebrities were blocked in India. The makers of the film also faced followed was a rare moment in Indian cultural politics. Instead of letting the storm fester or joining the chorus of condemnation, BJP Sikh leaders in Delhi, such as R.P. Singh and others, along with former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Manjit Singh GK, stepped forward to shield Dosanjh from the crossfire. 'Diljit is a global ambassador of Indian culture. The shooting for Sardaar Ji 3 took place before the Pahalgam attack. The call to cancel his citizenship is not only irrational but also politically motivated,' said R.P. Singh, senior BJP leader in Delhi and a party Singh GK went further, calling it a conspiracy to defame a successful Punjabi artiste. 'Just because some Pakistani artistes are promoting the film doesn't mean Diljit endorses them or their ideology,' he explains this unexpected intervention? First, Dosanjh occupies a unique space in India's cultural landscape. He's a Sikh icon with no separatist baggage, a global star whose reach extends from Chandigarh to California, and an artiste who has carefully maintained a line between activism and politics. For a BJP that is still trying to recover ground in Punjab after the bruising farmers' protests, attacking someone like Dosanjh would have risked deepening its disconnect with the state's moderate and urban Sikh middle the party seemed to sense that this was not a spontaneous outcry from the public but a backlash orchestrated by insiders in the entertainment ecosystem, driven perhaps by professional rivalry, politics of relevance, along with emotions nationalism. That many of the attacks came from prominent Punjabi voices—including Mika and B Praak—gave the controversy an emotional punch, but it also made the BJP's job of taking on the Pakistani actress for her anti-India remarks, the social media attack drifted towards Dosanjh. By positioning itself above the fray, the BJP could present itself as the adult in the room—measured, balanced and unwilling to throw an Indian artiste under the bus simply for calculation was especially important because the film itself had become a political football overseas. Pakistani actors, YouTubers, and diaspora-run Punjabi media portals based in Canada and the UK were openly promoting Sardaar Ji 3, even as it stayed off Indian screens. Pakistani authorities allowed the movie to be released there; reports suggest the film has done business to the tune of $500,000 (Rs 4.28 crore). For some in India, this added fuel to the theory that the film had become a tool of soft Pakistan imposed a formal ban on Indian films in 2016, Punjabi-language cinema had quietly found a way in, particularly through 'unofficial' screenings in cities like Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. Some recent reports reveal how, despite the ban, Indian Punjabi films continued to be screened in theatres across the border to full houses, albeit under the booked under neutral category codes to avoid scrutiny, with Pakistani agencies deliberately looking the other way, these screenings gave Punjabi producers access to Pakistan's large Punjabi-speaking markets—without any accountability regarding content control or revenue flow. Incidentally, when film producers across India had stopped featuring Pakistani collaborators after the 2016 Uri attack, the Punjabi fraternity didn't, and eventually landed up in this soothe tempers in India, Sardaar Ji 3 co-producer Gunbir Singh Sidhu has announced that he will not collaborate with Pakistani artistes in future. He also criticised Hania's comment on India's Operation BJP leaders have been careful not to conflate the promotional buzz with intent. 'We all oppose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, but you cannot target an artiste based on assumptions about intent. The context matters,' said Hobby Dhaliwal, a BJP leader in Punjab and Punjabi actor backing broadly, the BJP's handling of the episode reflects a deeper shift in how the party is choosing to define nationalism in the cultural space. Unlike the zero-tolerance, hyper-nationalist tone that marked earlier debates around Pakistani artistes—especially after the 2016 Uri terror attack—the current response was more was no defence of Pakistan, no minimisation of its role in recent terror attacks, but there was also no attempt to punish an Indian artiste retroactively for a film shot in different geopolitical conditions. The message was clear: the state's ire is reserved for Pakistan the government and its terror proxies, not for every interaction across the border that pre-dated the current a time when Punjab's political climate remains fragile—marked by economic distress, identity flux and diaspora-fuelled polarisation—the BJP appears to have made a conscious choice to back a figure seen as part of the cultural mainstream. Dosanjh's appeal cuts across class and generation; he is as comfortable performing at, say, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as he is at a village fair in Ludhiana. For the BJP, embracing such a figure offers a chance to project cultural openness without losing its nationalistic BJP leaders explain that defending Dosanjh was not just about protecting an individual artiste. It was about reclaiming the narrative from both ultra-nationalist zeal and self-defeating industry politics. The BJP's decision signals that nationalism need not always come with cancel culture attached—that in a complex, plural society, even global icons who occasionally share screen space with actors from across the border deserve the benefit of strategic silence may be misread as complicity, but a thoughtful defence can project strength. By standing with Diljit Dosanjh, the BJP made a calculated move of choosing strategy over sentiment and maturity over mob to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Express Tribune
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Neeru Bajwa unfollows 'Sardaar Ji' co-star Hania
As tensions escalate between India and Pakistan, the cultural fallout has reached the film industry once again - this time with Canadian-Indian actor Neeru Bajwa reportedly unfollowing Pakistani co-star Hania Aamir on Instagram. Reddit and Instagram accounts first observed Hania missing from Neeru's following list. Neeru further appears to have removed all promotional content related to their film Sardaar Ji 3, just hours ahead of its international release on Friday. The Punjabi-language horror-comedy, also starring Diljit Dosanjh, has found itself at the centre of a political and cultural storm. While no official comment has been made by either Neeru or Hania, the move is being widely interpreted as a response to growing criticism in India over the Pakistani actor's inclusion in the film. Industry insiders say the backlash stems from the participation of a Pakistani actress in an Indian production, amid renewed nationalist fervour and diplomatic hostilities following a deadly attack in Pahalgam earlier this year. The criticism, largely driven by right-wing online voices, accused Neeru of "undermining national sentiment" for collaborating with Hania. Gunbir Singh Sidhu, the film's producer, confirmed the decision not to release the film in India was made out of caution rather than compulsion. "There was no restriction from the Government of India or any other institution," Sidhu told reporters. "But given the sensitivity of the situation, we refrained from releasing the trailer in India or organising any promotions." The Film Federation of Western Indian Cinema (FWIC) has gone a step further, calling on the government to revoke Diljit's passport due to his continued association with the project. The statement has sparked criticism from several artists and civil society organisations, who argue the move infringes upon artistic expression and freedom of work. Despite the mounting controversy, Sardaar Ji 3, directed by Amar Hundal, remains set for an extensive international rollout, including screenings in Pakistan, the UK, and Canada - regions with large Punjabi-speaking diaspora populations. The film also marks Hania's debut in Indian Punjabi cinema. In a recent interview with Haroon Rashid on the BBC Asian Network, Diljit had nothing but warm words for the professionalism displayed by Hania on set as the pair worked together in the film. "My experience with Hania was very good," stated Diljit in a short but sweet commendation. "She was professional when we were working. We didn't have that much time together, though." "When this film was being made, the [political] situation was fine," mused the actor-singer, adopting the sanguine, accepting tone of one picking their battles. "When we shot this film in February, everything was fine. But a lot of big things are not in our hands."
