Punjabi rapper and actor Diljit Dosanjh is facing the heat of simmering tensions between India and Pakistan, after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president, BN Tiwari, threatened to oust him from Bollywood for including Pakistani actors in his upcoming film Sardaar Ji 3.
According to Filmfare, Dosanjh’s new film was supposed to be Pakistani actor Hania Aamir’s Bollywood debut; however, following the Pahalgam attack in India-Occupied Kashmir and the subsequent conflict between India and Pakistan, the ban on Pakistani artists in India was renewed.
Fawad Khan’s return to Bollywood in Abir Gulaal alongside Indian actor Vaani Kapoor was also halted because of the situation between the two nuclear-armed countries.
Despite fan speculation, it was never officially confirmed if Aamir would star in Sardaar Ji 3. However, netizens assumed that a girl in Dosanjh’s behind-the-scenes pictures was the Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum actor and the two also met during his recent music tour, sparking even more speculation.
The teaser for the film, released on Sunday, did not feature Aamir. Dosanjh was also accused of working with other Pakistani actors, including Nasir Chinyoti, Daniel Khawar and Saleem Albela, according to Indian media.
The FWICE president said, “If Diljit Dosanjh or any other artist continues to act like this, an action will not just be taken against their film but against them as well. They will be accused of non-cooperation. We have no place for traitors.
“The film industry cannot support people who are against this country. We need to stop people who are sitting in India but are helping others. We are getting multiple names. They will be ousted from the industry if they do not work for the betterment of the country.” FWICE also wrote a letter to India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and requested that they withhold certification of Dosanjh’s film, Filmfare reported.
“In light of recent directives issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Ministry), prohibiting Pakistani-origin content and collaboration with Pakistani artistes in Indian productions, and the parallel stance adopted by FWICE, we urge CBFC to align with these directives and national interest considerations before proceeding with certification,” the letter read.
Following the rise in tensions between India and Pakistan, India also banned several Pakistani celebrities’ social media handles as well as the YouTube accounts for certain news and entertainment channels.
Additionally, Pakistani songs were removed from music streaming platforms in India – most notably Spotify – following an advisory issued by the Indian government on May 8 calling for the removal of all Pakistani content.
Popular tracks like ‘Maand’, ‘Jhol’, ‘Faasle’, and others began disappearing from Spotify India on Wednesday night, reported NDTV.