Diljit Dosanjh's Sardaarji 3 producer says film lost 40% revenue after skipping India release over Hania Aamir's casting
By HT Entertainment Desk | Written by Riya Sharma
Jun 27, 2025 02:04 PM IST
Actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh recently faced backlash after the trailer of his movie Sardaarji 3 was released, which showed him romancing Pakistani actor Hania Aamir. While he clarified that the film was shot before the Pahalgam attack, some fans are still disappointed with him. In an interview with NDTV, the film's producer, Gunbir Singh Sidhu, opened up about social media trolling and the losses suffered by the film due to skipping its release in India. Diljit Dosanjh and Hania Aamir's still from Sardaarji 3.
Film bodies in India have called for a ban on the film in the country in light of the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025. Reacting to the backlash for casting Hania, producer Gunbir revealed that the film was shot in February in the UK, when there was no such atmosphere between the two countries and no restriction from the Government of India or any other institution. He further revealed that they decided not to release the film in India after the Pahalgam attack as they didn't want to hurt anyone's sentiments.
He further reacted to Hania and Mahira strongly condemning Operation Sindoor on social media and said, "I believe that they should not have made such statements. But I cannot comment more than that. But I would say that those things should not have happened, and she hit below the belt." Gunbir on Sardaarji 3 suffering losses
Gunbir further talked about the film suffering a loss after skipping its India release and said, "My previous film Jatt and Juliet 3 came out last year which was led by Diljit and Neeru. It was the first Punjabi film to do a business of ₹ 100 crore at the worldwide box office. 40% of that came from business in India and 60% overseas. So you assume that we have a business of about 40 crore from India and 60 crore from abroad. In such a situation, it is clear that 40% of our revenue loss has happened." About Sardaarji 3
Sardaarji 3 is the third instalment in the popular Punjabi fantasy-comedy franchise starring Diljit Dosanjh. The film follows his character, a quirky ghost hunter, who takes on a new supernatural case in the UK, this time with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir joining the cast alongside Neeru Bajwa. The film was released internationally on 27 June and skipped a release in India.
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