KEY POINTS
- The trailer featuring Aamir alongside Diljit Dosanjh became an instant hit
- Earlier, the actress was quietly removed from the Indian version of Sardaar Ji 3
- Diljit Dosanjh on Instagram confirmed the film will be released on 27th June
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani superstar Hania Aamir, who stars alongside Indian actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh in the upcoming Indian Punjabi horror-comedy Sardaar Ji 3, has been recast in the Indian release following a surge in political tensions.
While Aamir proudly unveiled the film’s trailer on Instagram—captioned with a cheerful “SARDAAR JI 3 releasing 27th June OVERSEAS only!”—Indian media outlets report that her role has been edited out or replaced in the version intended for Indian audiences.
The film, now slated to release everywhere but India, is a stark reminder from India that even in entertainment, borders are hard to cross.
Directed by Aamr Hundal, Sardaar Ji 3 features a ghost-hunting trio—Dosanjh, Aamir, and veteran actress Neeru Bajwa—embroiled in a supernatural adventure inside a haunted UK mansion.
Aamir’s reported recasting is part of a long-standing unofficial policy enforced by Indian producers since 2016, when diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan soured.
The situation escalated again this May, after both nations exchanged fire in a brief but volatile military confrontation, prompting the U.S. to intervene with a ceasefire.
This renewed hostility seems to have revived cultural censorship, with Aamir quietly scrubbed from the Indian version of the film.
Dosanjh, who has a global fanbase and rarely comments on political issues, echoed Aamir’s statement about the film’s overseas-only release, subtly acknowledging the restrictions without naming them.
“Sardaar Ji 3 releasing 27th June OVERSEAS only,” he wrote in a near-identical Instagram post.
The move mirrors the fate of another cross-border production, Abir Gulaal, starring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and India’s Vaani Kapoor.
The film was barred from Indian theatres in May after New Delhi linked Islamabad to an attack in Kashmir—a claim the Pakistani government has denied.
While Sardaar Ji 3 promises laughter and thrills, it also underscores an uncomfortable truth: talent may transcend boundaries.
