Cinema veteran Naseeruddin Shah on Monday defended Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh amid backlash over Pakistani actor Hania Aamir's role in "Sardaar Ji 3", saying casting is not the actor-musician’s responsibility.
The row began last week after Dosanjh shared the trailer of "Sardaar Ji 3", which made its debut in overseas territories on June 27 and skipped release in India.
Many social media users have called for a ban on Dosanjh, while trade unions like the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) and the Federation of Western lndia Cine Employees (FWICE) have criticised the Punjabi actor-musician for collaborating with Aamir in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Shah, who will feature alongside Dosanjh in filmmaker Imtiaz Ali's next film, shared a post on his official Facebook page, saying that he firmly stands with the actor on the issue.
The veteran actor, known for taking a stand on pertinent issues, said if someone has to be blamed for casting Aamir in the movie, then it should be the film's director.
"I STAND FIRMLY WITH DILJIT. The dirty tricks deptt of the Jumla Party has been awaiting a chance to attack him. They think they’ve got it at last. He was not responsible for the casting of the film; the director was.
"But no one knows who he is, whereas Diljit is known the world over, and he agreed to the cast because his mind is not poisoned," Shah wrote.
"Sardaar Ji 3" is helmed by Amar Hundal and also stars Neeru Bajwa.
Shah further said he has close relatives and friends in Pakistan and no one can stop him from meeting them.
“What these goons want is to put an end to personal interaction between the people of India and Pakistan. I have close relatives and some dear friends there and no one can stop me from meeting them or sending them love whenever I feel like it. And my response to those who will say 'Go to Pakistan' is 'GO TO KAILASA'," he wrote.
Imtiaz Ali, who earlier directed Dosanjh in the critically-acclaimed 2024 movie "Amar Singh Chamkila", came out in support of the actor at an event last week.
"Since I know Diljit, I can say that us mein deshbhakti ka jazbaa poora bhara hua hai (He is a patriot at heart). He is a son of the soil. You can see at all his concerts, he shows up with the Indian flag.
"He is not a guy who fakes things... No one asked him to do it. At the end of all his concerts, he says, "Main hoon Punjab", with the Indian flag. I don't know the details, but casting someone isn't the decision of the actor. I don't know how it went, but I know that uske andar desh prem bahut zyada hai (He loves his country too much)," Ali said.
In an interview with the BBC Asian Network last week, Dosanjh defended the decision to release "Sardaar Ji 3" in overseas territories. He also said when he signed the movie, there was no trouble between India and Pakistan.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives. 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.
In the aftermath, social media accounts of many Pakistani actors, including Aamir, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, were withheld in India.
Many trade organisations also reiterated their call for a ban on Pakistani artists in the Indian film industry.
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