Filmmaker Kabir Khan has broken his silence on the ongoing controversy surrounding Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir. After the tragic Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, the film faced massive backlash for including a Pakistani actor. As a result, the movie was not released in India and was instead launched overseas on June 27. In an interview with NDTV, Kabir explained that the casting for Sardaar Ji 3 happened months ago and the film had already been shot before the situation worsened. “It was a decision that was taken ages ago. By the time things changed, the film had already been shot. So it’s probably unfair to target a film like that. My views on things like censorship and banning are very different. One should be a little more liberated with anything to do with art”, he said.
He added that films often get caught up in political issues. “Sometimes films get stuck and get in the middle of politics, and then they lose out on audiences. They lose out on a good release. Diljit’s film is doing well in Pakistan, like you mentioned. He is one of the most respected actors and stars of this country and has always done very good work. We also know how proud he is as an Indian. He has been an International icon.”
Diljit & Team Clarify Timing, Film Finds Success Overseas
Diljit Dosanjh had earlier addressed the controversy in an interview with BBC Asian Network. He gave his statement in Punjabi which roughly translates to, “We shot the film in February, then the situation was all good. Afterwards a lot of things happened which were out of our control. So, the producers decided that this film obviously now won’t be released in India. It’ll just be released overseas.”
The actor added that the producers had invested heavily in the project, and it wasn’t fair for them to lose everything due to circumstances beyond their control.
The producers of the film had also released a statement on social media, clarifying that the casting was done before the tragic incident. They added that out of respect for the country’s mood, they decided not to promote or release the film in India until things improve.
Interestingly, after much backlash, the film body FWICE has now lifted the ban on Diljit. Reports say producer Bhushan Kumar personally reached out to them, asking to let Diljit continue filming Border 2, a patriotic movie.
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