While the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has waged a war against singer-turned-actor Diljit Dosanjh and even issued an official directive demanding his boycott and removal from the upcoming Border 2 for working with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in his latest film Sardaar Ji 3, the organisation’s move has not been well-received by all in the artistic community. Recently, legendary actor Naseeruddin Shah had come out in support of Diljit while also taking a swipe at FWICE. His comments have since drawn sharp criticism from producer-director Ashoke Pandit, who claimed they reflected Shah’s “frustration and restlessness.”
In a now-deleted post on Facebook, Shah had noted, “I STAND FIRMLY WITH DILJIT. The dirty tricks deptt of 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.”
Hitting back at the actor, Pandit told news agency ANI, “We are not surprised, not shocked by Naseeruddin Shah’s response to Diljit Dosanjh’s entire episode. He calls us Jumla party, he calls us goons. The educated, versatile actor, senior person in the industry, calling us goons proves the frustration and kind of restlessness of Naseeruddin Shah.” Ashoke Pandit also serves as the president of the Indian Film & Television Director’s Association (IFTDA), one of the several associations affiliated with FWICE.
“Naseeruddin Shah says that he (Diljit) was not responsible for casting. Well, I would like to tell Naseeruddin Shah that he was an actor. He could have refused to work with Pakistani actors,” he added. Ashoke Pandit is known for bankrolling propagandistic films such as The Accidental Prime Minister (2019) and 72 Hoorain (2023). He also directed the movie Sheen (2004) and television shows like Tere Mere Sapne, Hanste Khelte and Muqammal.
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He continued: “It’s very sad that I have to, on behalf of the Federation of Western India’s senior employees, explain to him the real situation between Pakistan and India. Naseeruddin Shah, from the last 40 years, Pakistan has been abusing and attacking India. They have killed people, they have raped people, they have massacred people in this country of ours. It’s not only Pahalgam. It is the latest attack. Before that, Pulwama, Uri, Mumbai Blast, 26/11, there are so many attacks Pakistan is responsible. And Pakistan is a terror nation.”
“For us, our country comes first. So, our response to the entire episode, our response to the entire film Sardaar Ji 3, according to us is right. Let me tell you Naseer sahab, we have taken a call to issue a non-cooperation against Diljit and we have already issued,” Pandit added.
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Following the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year, FWICE had imposed a blanket ban on artistes from Pakistan. Amid this, the Punjabi horror comedy Sardaar Ji 3 arrived, featuring actor Hania Aamir, which irked the federation. It then demanded an unconditional apology from Diljit, accusing him of hurting “national sentiments” and disregarding the “sacrifices” of Indian soldiers. A formal “Non-Cooperation Directive” was also issued against him.
Commenting on the controversy, Diljit told BBC Asian Network, “When the film was made, the situation was fine. This film was shot in February. A lot of things happened after that which are not in our control. When it (Pahalgam attack) happened, the producers knew that they can’t release this film in India anymore. But, they decided to release it overseas as they have invested a lot of money in the film. They will 100% suffer losses because they are removing an entire territory. The truth is when I signed the film, the situation was just fine. Now, when the producers want to release it overseas, I will have to stand with them and support their decision.”
