Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday came out in support of singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh, who has faced criticism over casting Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in his latest film ‘Sardaar Ji 3’.
Mann said Dosanjh was called a ‘gaddar’ (traitor) but highlighted that the film was made before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people.
“A Pakistani actor acted in Diljit Dosanjh’s film. It was shot before the Pahalgam terror attack. The Pakistani actor worked in it as our culture is the same. They speak Punjabi and we speak as well,” said Mann during his address at an event here. “Diljit was called a ‘gaddar’. And now a Pakistani team will come to play here, and then everything will be fine?” asked Mann.
The government last week gave its approval for Pakistani participation in hockey’s Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from August 27 to September 7.
The CM said Punjabis have been unnecessarily made targets by the self-proclaimed nationalists who are envious of Punjab and Punjabis.
He said the movie has been unnecessarily banned in the country.
The CM said Punjabis played a key role in making the country self-reliant in food production and safeguarding the borders of the nation.
A row had erupted over the casting of the Pakistani actress in Dosanjh’s movie.
Trade unions like the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) have criticised Dosanjh for collaborating with Aamir in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, with FWICE demanding that his citizenship be cancelled. Many social media users have also called for a ban on the Punjabi actor-musician.
Several Sikh leaders from across parties have come out in Dosanjh’s support terming the calls to revoke his citizenship as unfair.
Dosanjh had recently defended his decision to release ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ in the overseas territories amid the controversy.
The film’s producers are already facing losses as the film won’t come out in India due to a ban on Pakistani artists, and in such a scenario, it is justified to release it overseas, he had added.
“When this film was made, the situation was fine. We shot it in February and everything was going well at that time. Look, there are a lot of things, big things, that are not in our control. So the producers decided that obviously, now this film won’t release in India, so let’s release it overseas,” Dosanjh had said.
Earlier this year, Dosanjh sprang a surprise when a day after his ‘Dil-Luminati’ India tour ended in Ludhiana on December 31, he had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on New Year’s Day.
The globally popular singer had met the Prime Minister at his Delhi residence where they discussed music, culture, and India’s artistic legacy.
Relations between India and Pakistan hit an all-time low after the Pahalgam attack. In retaliation, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7, in an operation codenamed Operation Sindoor.
