Due to political unrest and social media criticism, Sardaar Ji 3’s producers revealed that the movie lost an estimated 40% of its earnings after it was not released in India.
Following the April 22 terror assault in Pahalgam, which rekindled cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, producer Gunbir Singh Sidhu acknowledged in an interview with an Indian private TV channel that the decision to postpone the film’s distribution in India was made voluntarily.
“To avoid offending the public’s sentiment, we chose not to release the film in India,” Sidhu stated. Even though the movie was filmed in the UK earlier this year, before the tensions, things changed following the assault. We didn’t want to stir up feelings or invite more trolling.
The movie was released internationally on June 27 and starred singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh, Neeru Bajwa, and Pakistani actor Hania Aamir. However, the producers decided to forgo all advertising efforts in India due to growing criticism from Indian cinema organizations and social media outcry, especially around Hania Aamir’s casting. In addition, the Film Federation of Western Indian Cinema (FFWIC) requested action against Dosanjh and called for a boycott of the movie.
Sidhu admitted that after Pakistani actors Mahira Khan and Hania Aamir openly denounced India’s contentious Operation Sindoor earlier this year, the criticism grew more intense. “They ought not to have said such things. I won’t go into further detail, but I will say that it was offensive,” he said.
Sidhu claimed that Sardaar Ji 3’s commercial chances had been severely hampered by the lack of the Indian market, drawing a comparison to his 2024 blockbuster Jatt & Juliet 3.
The first Punjabi movie to earn over 100 crores worldwide was “Jatt & Juliet 3.” Of that, 60% came from foreign markets, and 40% came from India, Sidhu said. “Sardaar Ji 3’s failure to receive an Indian release has essentially cost us that 40% share.”
With its humorous and mystical themes, the Sardaar Ji franchise has become a huge hit with Punjabi-speaking viewers worldwide.
Diljit Dosanjh plays the eccentric ghost hunter who takes on a new paranormal case in the UK in Sardaar Ji 3. With her participation, Hania Aamir made her debut in Indian Punjabi movie.
Notwithstanding the issue, the movie has received positive reviews in foreign areas with sizable Punjabi diasporas, including Canada, the UK, and Australia.
Hania Aamir and Dosanjh have not discussed the matter in-depth in public. In what many see as a reaction to public criticism, the movie’s co-star Neeru Bajwa recently made news when she unfollowed Aamir on Instagram and deleted all of the movie’s promotional content from her page.
