Abhijeet Bhattacharya to Rupali Ganguli: Celebs who called out Diljit Dosanjh over ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ controversy - "Desh Pehle!"

Diljit Dosanjh, the ‘Born To Shine’ singer, is one of the biggest Punjabi artists who has reached the global stage. However, recently this Punjabi turned global star has found himself at the center of a storm following the release of ‘Sardaar Ji 3,’ as it features Pakistani actress Hania Aamir.

Following the Pahalgam attack and India’s retaliation, the political scenario has turned intense. Amid the growing tension, India’s ban on Pakistani artists and content, Diljit’s latest release with Hania Aamir has sparked a debate around his loyalty towards the nation. The release of his movie and the singer’s stance to stand by the producers brought him heavy criticism from other celebrities as well. Here’s a brief on the same:

While a lot of netizens and celebrities took to their social media stories to express their disapproval of or discontentment with Diljit Dosanjh, singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya shared a post on his feed. He took an old video of Diljit Dosanjh from his Dil-Luminati tour to slam the singer.

This video featured Diljit Dosanjh reciting late lyricist Rahat Indori's poem, ‘Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai’, at one of his concerts. Now Abhijit used this particular clip and in the end of it added his old interview video, where he can be heard saying, “Hindustan hamare baap ka hain…Hindustan hamare baap ke baap ke baap ke purvajo ka hain (India belongs to our fathers and our forefathers)". It then ends with a picture of Abhijeet holding the national flag with the patriotic song ‘Sare Jahan Se Achha’ playing in the backdrop. “Hindustan Hamare BAAP ka hai (India belongs to our fathers),” read the caption of the post.

Following the controversy over Hania Aamir’s casting in ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ and its overseas release, Diljit Dosanjh was dropped from one of his highly awaited films - ‘Border 2.’ ‘Anupama’ actress Rupali Ganguly supported the decision of the makers to drop Diljit, and added that there isn’t any room for people with ‘confused loyalties’

“Border was a film that evoked deep patriotism among the people of our nation. It’s truly disheartening and frustrating to see an actor in #Border2 who fails to recognize his responsibilities towards the country. Kudos to the makers for showing clarity and conviction by dropping that actor from the film. A film that celebrates our soldiers and national pride must reflect that spirit in every aspect. No room for confused loyalties in a film about national pride. JAI HIND,” wrote Rupali in an X post.

While many straight away accused Diljit and didn’t hesitate to take a dig at him. Aditya Narayan mentioned it is actually difficult to say whether the singer-actor is right or wrong in his decision to release the movie. During his conversation with News18, he highlighted that when the casting happened, perhaps back then, the relationship between India and Pakistan was not this strained.

Having said that, he emphasized that the nation should come first. Aditya added that the bond between the two neighbouring countries was never good anyway. “It’s murky waters, but definitely, it’s always India first. This is my motherland. This is my country," he quoted.

Further, when asked what he would have done if he had been in Diljit’s place, he mentioned - “I would put my nation first, and so would every Indian. We love India. India main rehne wale log India se pyaar karte hain. India main nahi rehne wale log India se pyaar karte hain. Hum itna pyaara desh hain, humare saath aise kyu kiya jaata hai?"

Considering the sensitive nature of the matter, he then urged Diljit to make amends.

Mika Singh was one of the first celebs to react to the controversy. Taking to his social media handle, he shared a note with the title - ‘Desh Pehle.’ This note read - “Guys, as we all know, the relationship between India and Pakistan isn’t going well right now. Yet some people continue to act irresponsibly.”

Then with a picture of him and Diljit, he wrote a few more lines that read - “What’s more shocking is that a fake singer, after doing 10 shows in India with thousands of fans buying tickets, has now disappeared — leaving fans betrayed and helpless.”

Later, Mika softened his tone and mentioned that if Diljit apologizes and removes Hania Aamir’s scenes from the movie, people will be willing to forgive him. “Guys, I understand, we all make mistakes in life. But when we do, there's one simple word that holds power: Sorry. If Diljit made a mistake, we're all willing to forgive. But he must apologise and remove all the objectionable scenes from the movie! That's it. No hate. Just respect. Desh pehle,” he wrote on his story.