Ajay Devgn calls for dialogue

Actor Ajay Devgn on Friday called for calm and conversation amid controversy surrounding Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh’s film Sardaar Ji 3, which has faced backlash for featuring Pakistani actor Hania Aamir.

Speaking at the trailer launch of his upcoming film Son of Sardaar 2, Devgn urged against blame, saying disagreements should be resolved through discussion.

“When there are two different points of view, you need to sit down and resolve problems through conversation,” Devgn said. “I don’t know where the trolling comes from or what is right and what is wrong. I’m not in his shoes to comment on that. He would’ve had his problems, and people are thinking from their point of view. I won’t blame anybody or say who is right or wrong — they need a conversation.”

Sardaar Ji 3 was released in international markets on 27 June, but skipped Indian cinemas, sparking widespread criticism. Social media users, political figures and industry bodies such as the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) called for a boycott of Dosanjh over his collaboration with Aamir, following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.

Devgn was also asked about the ongoing language controversy in Maharashtra, where the state government has mandated the teaching of Hindi as a third language in state-run primary schools, alongside English and Marathi.

Responding with a reference to his Singham character’s catchphrase, Devgn said, “The only answer I’ll give you about the language thing that’s going on is: Aata Maaji Satakli.”

The Raid 2 star also expressed excitement at returning to comedy after a six-year break with Son of Sardaar 2, the sequel to his 2012 hit.

“I didn’t realise I’ve been away from comedy for six years, but it was a lot of fun doing this film. The script was very funny. When we decided to do Son of Sardaar 2, the key was ensuring the humour quotient was even higher than the first part, and we’re glad we cracked it,” he said.

The original film, directed by Ashwni Dhir, starred Devgn alongside Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha and Mukul Dev — who passed away in May this year at the age of 54. The story followed Jaswinder “Jassi” Singh Randhawa (Devgn), who returns from London to his ancestral village in Punjab, only for chaos to ensue.

In the new trailer, Devgn’s character is seen impersonating Sunny Deol’s iconic role from the film Border.

Son of Sardaar 2 film is produced by Devgn along with Jyoti Deshpande, NR Pachisia and Pravin Talreja. It is set to release on 25 July.

Lifestyle