Diljit
Dosanjh
with
Hania
Aamir
in
Sardaarji
3.
Amid
a
storm
surrounding
his
collaboration
with
Pakistani
actress
Hania
Aamir,
singer-actor
Diljit
Dosanjh
has
taken
to
social
media
with
a
cryptic
message.
The
controversy
has
arisen
because
of
Aamir’s
role
in
his
upcoming
film, Sardaarji
3.
Diljit
shared
a
cryptic
post
on
Instagram
that
read,
‘Censored
before
release?
I
watched
Punjab
95
—
and
the
real
fight
may
just
be
starting
now.’
The
post
was
about
the
long-awaited
film, Punjab
95,
which
was
delayed
due
to
censorship
issues.
Directed
by
Honey
Trehan
and
produced
by
Ronnie
Screwvala,
it
tells
the
story
of
Khalra,
who
uncovered
human
rights
violations
during
Punjab’s
militancy
era.
Meanwhile,
Indian
netizens
expressed
their
disappointment
over
Diljit’s
decision
to
work
with
a
Pakistani
artist
in
Sardaarji
3 amid
tensions
between
the
two
countries.
After
the
trailer’s
release,
the
Federation
of
Western
India
Cine
Employees
(FWICE)
has
condemned
Diljit
and
his
team
and
has
demanded
action
from
the
Indian
government.
The
film
body
has
called
for
the
revocation
of
the
film-maker’s
passport
and
a
nationwide
ban
on
the
film’s
release
in
India.
FWICE
appealed
to
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah,
Minister
of
External
Affairs
S
Jaishankar
and
Minister
of
Information
&
Broadcasting
Ashwini
Vaishnaw
to
take
strict
and
immediate
action
against
Diljit
Dosanjh,
Producers
Gunbir
Singh
Sidhu,
Manmord
Sidhu
and
Director
Amar
Hundal,
as
per
an
official
statement.
‘We,
the
undersigned
office
bearers
of
the
Federation
of
Western
India
Cine
Employees
(FWICE),
representing
scores
of
dedicated
workers
who
form
the
backbone
of
India’s
film
and
television
industry,
write
with
deep
outrage
and
unwavering
conviction
over
an
act
that
not
only
defies
the
laws
and
directives
of
our
country
but
insults
the
soul
of
our
nation.
‘Daljit
Dosanjh,
Gunbir
Singh
Sidhu,
Manmord
Sidhu
and
Director
Amar
Hundal,
the
public
personalities
enjoying
the
privileges
of
Indian
citizenship,
have
committed
an
unpardonable
act
by
hiring
Pakistani
actress
Ms
Hania
Aamir
in
their
upcoming
film
Sardaarji
3.
This
decision
is
not
a
mere
creative
choice
—
it
is
a
wilful
affront
to
the
sovereignty,
dignity
and
security
of
India.
‘Hania
Aamir
is
not
merely
a
foreign
artist.
She
is
a
vocal
propagandist
against
India,
who
has
used
her
platform
to
mock
our
armed
forces,
abuse
India
publicly
and
shamelessly
justify
Pakistan’s
terror
acts
post
Operation
Sindoor.
Her
inclusion
in
any
Indian
film
is
nothing
short
of
an
insult
to
every
Indian
citizen,
every
martyr
and
every
family
affected
by
cross-border
terrorism.
‘Ms
Hania
Aamir
has,
time
and
again,
abused
her
platform
to
spread
venom
against
India,
glorify
terrorist
forces,
demean
our
armed
forces
and
mock
our
national
tragedies.
Her
association
with
any
Indian
project
is
not
just
insensitive
—
it
is
an
act
of
open
provocation
against
our
people
and
our
country.
‘That
Daljit
Dosanjh,
Gunbir
Singh
Sidhu,
Manmord
Sidhu
and
Director
Amar
Hundal,
fully
aware
of
her
background
and
in
brazen
disregard
of
official
government
directives
and
industry-wide
bans,
chose
to
cast
her,
only
proves
where
their
loyalties
lie.
Their
actions
are
a
gross
betrayal
of
the
nation
that
gave
them
fame,
fortune
and
identity.
It
is
a
direct
insult
to
every
soldier
who
defends
our
borders,
every
family
mourning
a
martyr
and
every
citizen
who
stands
proudly
under
the
Indian
flag.
We
therefore
demand,
without
equivocation,
that
the
Government
of
India
treat
this
as
a
serious
breach,’
the
letter
read.
‘We
respectfully
urge
that
their
passports
be
revoked
without
delay
and
that
they
be
permanently
barred
from
availing
any
rights,
privileges
or
representation
associated
with
Indian
citizenship
and
national
identity.’
This
act
or
theirs
is
not
only
a
direct
defiance
of
FWICE’s
official
ban
on
Pakistani
artists
but
also
a
shameful
betrayal
of
the
country
and
its
people,
especially
at
a
time
when
the
nation
is
mourning
the
brutal
murder
of
innocent
Indian
tourists
in
Pahalgam
by
Pakistan-backed
terrorists,
added
the
press
release.
‘Diljit
Dosanjh,
Gunbir
Singh
Sidhu,
Manmord
Sidhu
and
Director
Amar
Hundal
despite
being
fully
aware
of
these
facts
and
the
FWICE
directives,
have
gone
ahead
and
hired
this
individual.
‘Their
actions
clearly
reveal
where
their
loyalties
lie
—
not
with
India,
not
with
Indian
cinema
and
certainly
not
with
the
people
of
this
country,’
they
asserted.
Diljit
Dosanjh,
Neeru
Bajwa
and
other
cast
members
of
Sardaarji
3.
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Diljit
Dosanjh/Instagram
FWICE
had
also
approached
the
ministry
of
information
&
broadcasting
and
the
Central
Board
of
Film
Certification,
demanding
a
ban
on
the
film’s
release
in
India
and
the
denial
of
censor
certification.
‘We
are
grateful
that
the
authorities
have
respected
our
stance
and
the
sentiments
of
millions
of
Indians
and
have
officially
refused
to
allow
the
release
of
this
film
on
Indian
soil,’
they
wrote.
‘Let
this
serve
as
a
final
and
stern
warning:
Any
Indian
filmmaker
or
artist
who
collaborates
with
Pakistani
nationals
will
be
treated
as
complicit
in
promoting
anti-India
narratives.
‘We
now
urge
and
expect
all
producers’
associations,
film
federations,
OTT
platforms,
exhibitors,
and
distributors
across
the
country
to
immediately
sever
all
ties
with
Daljit
Dosanjh,
Gunbir
Singh
Sidhu,
Manmord
Sidhu
and
Director
Amar
Hundal.
They
have
chosen
to
align
themselves
with
the
enemy
—
and
there
is
no
place
in
the
Indian
film
industry
for
such
individuals.
This
is
not
just
a
call
for
boycott
—
this
is
a
call
for
national
solidarity.’
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.
Photographs
curated
by
Satish
Bodas/Rediff
