Backlash is piling up against Diljit Dosanjh’s new Punjabi film, Sardaar Ji 3, mostly because it features Pakistani actor Hania Aamir. Things escalated fast—so fast that some groups are demanding Dosanjh’s Indian citizenship be revoked.
BJP spokesperson RP Singh, though, has stepped up in Dosanjh’s defence, calling these demands “shockingly disproportionate.”
BJP spokesperson extends support to Diljit Dosanjh
RP Singh didn’t hold back on X (formerly Twitter): “Diljit isn’t just an artist—he’s a national asset and a global ambassador for Indian culture. Trying to revoke his citizenship over a film shoot that happened before all this drama? That’s not just unfair, it’s absurd.”
Since the trailer dropped on June 22, Dosanjh has taken heat for working with Hania. The trailer got yanked off YouTube in India. Both the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) have gone after him, pushing for a boycott.
FWICE even wrote to Prime Minister Modi, demanding Dosanjh lose his citizenship, accusing him of aligning with voices that glorify terrorism and insult India’s sovereignty.
RP Singh says this is all just a “publicity stunt”
RP Singh says this is all just a “publicity stunt” by FWICE. He’s basically saying, Who gave them the authority to ask for someone’s citizenship to be revoked? Don’t like his film? Boycott it. Don’t want him on OTT platforms? Fine. But cancelling someone’s citizenship over this?
Singh’s support for Dosanjh has sparked plenty of reactions online, but he’s unfazed. He says he doesn’t need anyone’s approval for his patriotism.
In his words, “As long as he wears a turban, he is Indian, and we must remember that.” He also pointed out the double standard: Where’s the outrage when Indian cricketers compete against Pakistan, or when TV anchors invite Pakistani guests for debates? Singh called the whole thing “ridiculous,” and said he doesn’t care if people troll him for it.
.@diljitdosanjh is not just a celebrated artist—he’s a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture. FWICE’s call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot is not only unfair but shockingly disproportionate.
The film featuring a…
— RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) June 27, 2025
What is Diljit Dosanjh up to amid Sardaar Ji 3 controversy?
Meanwhile, Dosanjh has stayed mostly silent on the controversy, though he told BBC Asia that the film was made when “the situation was OK,” and now, what’s happening is out of his hands. Sardaar Ji 3 isn’t releasing in India, but it’s already playing to packed theaters in Pakistan.
FWICE, for their part, aren’t backing down. They’ve written to T-Series, which is producing Border 2 (Dosanjh’s next big film), slamming them for keeping him in the cast and saying it’s disrespectful to national sentiment. They’ve even reached out to the National Defence Academy and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, urging them not to allow Border 2 to shoot. “It’s a matter of national security,” FWICE president BN Tiwari said.
So far, there’s been no official response from the government or the makers of Border 2. But FWICE has sent another letter to Dosanjh, accusing him of failing his country with his professional choices.
The whole thing’s a mess. The debate over artists, politics, and national loyalty is raging on, and there’s no sign of it cooling down soon.
The letter lays it out pretty bluntly for Dosanjh, saying he’s basically blacklisted. “FWICE is slapping you with a Non-Cooperation Directive, effective immediately.
Every group under FWICE, along with their members, isn’t allowed to work with you on any projects—now or in the future—unless you cut ties with that collaboration and publicly apologise, no strings attached, to both the Indian film industry and the people of India.”
