Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh recently faced controversy for casting Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in Sardaar Ji 3. After the trailer of the film released, Diljit and the film's team faced severe backlash for their collaboration with Hania, amid the tensions between India and Pakistan, after the Pahalgam terror attack. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and other film bodies, demanded a ban on Dosanjh and the producers of the film, and also urged others not to cast him in the future. FWICE even appealed the government to blacklist Diljit, revoke his passport and citizenship. Several celebs like Javed Akhtar, Imtiaz Ali, Mika Singh, Kangana Ranaut and others have shared their opinions on the matter. Now, actor-filmmaker Anupam Kher has also weighed in on Sardaar Ji 3 row.
Anupam Kher On Diljit Dosanjh, Sardaar Ji 3 Row: Can't See My Sister's Sindoor Get Destroyed For Art
Reacting to Diljit Dosanjh's collaboration with Hania Aamir, Anupam Kher said he has 'full freedom to exercise his right', but Kher personally would not do that, due to nationalist sentiments.
Anupam Kher on Diljit Dosanjh's Sardaar Ji 3 row
In an interview with NDTV, Kher said that Dosanjh has the full freedom to make his own choices, but he personally won't work with Pakistani artists.
"It's his fundamental right. He has full freedom to exercise his right and he should be given the freedom to exercise it. I can say from my point of view that maybe I wouldn't do what he did," Kher said.
He added, "I'd say, 'You slapped my father but you sing very well, you play very good tabla, so you come and perform at my house'. But I wouldn't be able to do that. I am not that great. I won't hit him back, but I won't give him the right... The rule that I practice at my home, I practice in my country. I am not that great that I could see my family get hit or see my sister's sindoor get destroyed for art. Those who can do so, they have all the freedom."
Earlier, at NDTV’s Creators Manch, when Javed Akhtar was asked about the criticism Diljit was facing due to the cross-border collaboration, he said, "Ab kya karein bechara. The movie was shot earlier. Usko pata toh nahi tha ki aisa hoga. Iss mein Pakistani aadmi ka paisa toh nahi doobega, Hindustani ka paisa doobega. Toh phir kya faayda? (What can the poor guy do now? The movie was shot earlier. He didn’t know something like this would happen. It’s not a Pakistani’s money that will be lost, it’s an Indian’s. So what’s the point?)"
The lyricist also said that had Diljit known this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have cast a Pakistani actor. He also said that the government and the censor board should look at the situation with a little sympathy and ask him not to do it again.
Coming back to Anupam Kher, he is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming directorial, Tanvi The Great, which is all set to hit the screens on July 18, 2025.