Even as Diljit Dosanjh receives mixed reviews for his latest whodunit comedy Detective Sherdill, which released on ZEE5 last week, a dark cloud hangs over over his theatrical releases. Besides his period investigative thriller Punjab ’95 being stuck at the censors, his new Punjabi movie Sardarji 3 has also faced boycott calls since it also stars Pakistani actor Hania Aamir.
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 Hania, dropped online. The 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 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 artistes, including Hania Aamir, had their social media accounts made no longer accessible in India following the Pahalgam attack.
Diljit Dosanjh in Punjab 95. (Photo: Diljit Dosanjh/X)
Since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel, FWICE has enforced a blanket ban on Pakistani artistes, including actors, musicians, and technicians, within the Indian film industry. Meanwhile, sharing the trailer of the horror-comedy franchise on his Instagram on Monday, Diljit Dosanjh announced that the film will release exclusively overseas on June 27. The trailer of Sardaar Ji 3 is currently not on YouTube India, but has been shared by Diljit on his Instagram handle.
Diljit also took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share a joint post by filmmakers Honey Trehan and Sunayana Suresh on his film Punjab ’95 getting “censored before release.” The film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was slated to have its worldwide release next month without any cuts, except for India.
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But in January, the actor-singer shared a message on his Instagram story about the film’s release. “We are sorry and it pains us to inform you that the movie ‘Punjab ’95’ will not release on 7th Feb due to circumstances beyond our control,” he wrote. In 2023, Punjab ’95 was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was removed from the line-up without any official statement from the organisers.
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Directed by Honey Trehan and produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, the film sheds light on Jaswant Singh Khalra’s relentless pursuit of justice during Punjab’s tumultuous militancy period, highlighting his investigations into human rights violations and the disappearances of Sikhs. Khalra was kidnapped and killed in 1995. The film also stars Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky of Kohraa fame.
