The scandal in the Punjabi movie Sardaar Ji 3 is still growing, with actress Neeru Bajwa now being in the news for her significant social media actions.
Prior to the movie's release abroad, Neeru has removed her co-stars—Diljit Dosanjh and Hania Aamir—from her Instagram follow list and cleared her profile of all promotional content regarding the movie.
As of June 27, the release day, Neeru no longer follows Diljit, even though she has shared screen space with him in a number of successful films over the years. She has also given the finger to Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, whom she used to follow when the trailer of the film was released last month. Moreover, all records of Sardaar Ji 3 —trailer and song teaser—have disappeared from her Instagram page. Her last public post on her account is now an advertisement video of her soon-to-be-released Hindi movie Son of Sardaar 2, in which she plays the lead role opposite Ajay Devgn. Still, she reshared a fan account of the premiere of Sardaar Ji 3 with a promo of one of her song clips in the movie.
The controversy has its roots in Hania Aamir's casting during a period of continued diplomatic tension between India and Pakistan. Even as the crew of the film, including Diljit Dosanjh in his capacity as lead actor and producer, rallied behind her, arguing that the casting was done before recent conflicts, the argument hasn't calmed critics. Some film bodies have gone as far as demanding a ban on Diljit, with extreme calls urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke his citizenship and deactivate his social media accounts.
Neeru's seeming choice to step away from the film has been praised on the internet. One Reddit user wrote, "This is courageous on Neeru's part! Respect to her!" Someone else posted, "Bravo to her, but she probably knows that this backlash might damage her career. Nevertheless, the fact that she's doing some effort is deserving of note.
Some others questioned Diljit's ongoing support of Hania and his refusal to change his mind about the casting decision in spite of increasing public outrage. One user posted, "How is Diljit and his PR so adamant on not dropping this issue? He can recuperate the money made from tours and albums, but once he loses public favour, even 20 years of working very hard will not be sufficient. Why can't he understand the long-term destruction he's causing to his reputation?
Directed by Amar Hundal, Sardaar Ji 3 is a horror-comedy and, as claimed, one of the costliest productions in the history of Punjabi cinema. It is the third installment of the Sardaar Ji series, with the first two films featuring Diljit and Neeru in the lead roles. But since there has been an ongoing backlash against the film, the makers decided to go for an international release only, bypassing theatrical releases in India altogether.
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