Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has joined the ongoing debate surrounding Diljit Dosanjh and the casting of Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in Sardaar Ji 3. While the Punjabi actor's fans and colleagues from the music industry are criticizing him and lashing out over his decision to work with Hania in the movie, Naseeruddin has a different take on it. He openly revealed that he firmly stands by Diljit on social media. Find out what he wrote in support of the Punjabi singer and his thoughts on the entire situation.

The decision of the makers of Sardaar Ji 3 to release Diljit Dosanjh starrer in Pakistan and overseas to avoid escalating the ongoing tension between cross-borders following the tragic Pahalgam terror attack. However, the casting decision of Hania opposite Diljit has sparked an intense debate online, with many criticising it and film bodies asking for a ban. Amid this row, Naseeruddin Shah extended his support to the actor.

He shared a note on his Facebook handle, which read, “I STAND FIRMLY WITH DILJIT. The dirty tricks deptt of 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. What these goons want is to put an end to personal interaction between the people of India and Pakistan."

 

He expressed love for his close friends and relatives who reside in Pakistan. The actor added, "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."

Naseeruddin Shah On Diljit

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However, The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has also strongly opposed Diljit's casting in the upcoming movie Border 2, which also stars Sunny Deol. In a letter to the Border 2 team, the association boycotted Diljit. The part of the letter read, "FWICE’s official directive to boycott Mr. Diljit Dosanjh, which was issued after his unpatriotic act of working with a Pakistani actress, Ms. Hania Aamir, in the film Sardaar Ji 3. By choosing to collaborate with an artist who has so brazenly ignored the ongoing tensions and national sentiment, your production has directly undermined the stand taken by the Indian film industry in solidarity with the nation."

The film union body also has requested Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh to withdraw any permission granted to the Border 2 makers for filming at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune.

ALSO READ: Diljit Dosanjh Still A Part Of Border 2, Makers In No Mood To Drop Punjabi Singer Amid Sardaar Ji 3 Controversy | Report

However, as per the latest reports, the Border 2 team has no plans to replace or remove Diljit from the movie as 40 to 50 per cent of the film's shooting is already complete.

Amid the ongoing row, Sardaar Ji 3 was released internationally on June 27.