Sardaar Ji 3 gets warm welcome in Pakistan: A casting choice to star Pakistani actor Hania Aamir alongside Diljit Dosanjh ended up getting a huge backlash for the film in India where Pakistani actors are banned in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The film chose to stick with the cast and decided to forgo it’s India release. Diljit has now shared how the film is getting an amazing response overseas, especially in Pakistan.
A casting choice to star Pakistani actor Hania Aamir alongside Diljit Dosanjh ended up getting a huge backlash for the film in India. This casting choice sparked controversy amid rising India-Pakistan tensions. And the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Sardaar Ji 3 had to skip its India release amid controversy. But looks like the film is getting an amazing response overseas, especially in Pakistan.
According to reports from Box Office India, the film managed to rake in Rs 11.03 crore globally within just two days. The opening day saw collections of Rs 4.32 crore, with day two witnessing a significant jump to Rs 6.71 crore.
Despite being denied a theatrical release in India, Diljit Dosanjh’s Sardaar Ji 3 was released internationally on June 27, 2025 and has gone houseful in cinemas across Pakistan. The film has been witnessing massive success across the border. A fan shared his review for the film and wrote, “Loved every bit of it, you and Hania together omg, I have laughed loved and smiled longer after ages watching a movie, this is what we need ❤️ 👏👏👏🔥🔥🙌🙌.”
On Friday, a Pakistan-based theatre Cinegold Plex shared a video showing packed shows for the film. Diljit too reposted a clip from Universal Cinemas, a cinema hall based out of Lahore and Multan, highlighting the audience’s enthusiastic response on his Instagram story.
Diljit Dosanjh shared a reel that showed a houseful theatre and the audience can be heard cheering. “12 shows on ultra screens. The largest in the country. The overwhelming response from the audience for Sardaar Ji 3. Come and watch!,” read the text on the reel.
This horror-comedy has reportedly achieved a record-breaking opening in Pakistan, and now holds the title for the highest-ever opening for an Indian film in Pakistan, surpassing previous records set by Bollywood hit Sultan.
Sardaar Ji 3 had a high footfall on Friday, thus the film is expected to make more collections in the coming days.
On the Global scale, too Sardaar Ji 3 has made its ranks as the third-best opening day for a Punjabi film, after Jatt & Juliet 3 and Carry On Jatta.
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After the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to block the film’s release in India. Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh too has been facing backlash for sharing screen space with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in Sardarji 3.
The producers opted to release Sardaar Ji 3 overseas only, which has resulted in a huge loss for the film.
Speaking to BBC Asian Network, Diljit shared his view on not releasing the film in India and said, “When this film was made, everything was fine. We shot it in February and things were okay back then. After that, a lot of big things happened that were beyond our control. So the producers decided that the film obviously won’t be released in India now, so they’ll release it overseas. The producers have invested a lot of money, and when the film was being made, nothing like this was happening.”
Diljit also added that the producers were aware of the potential financial loss from removing an entire territory like India. He also added that at the time he signed the film, everything was normal, but the situation has since changed and is now beyond their control. He added that he fully supports the producers’ decision to release the film internationally.
