Sardaar Ji 3 box office collection: Record-breaking performance in Pakistan pushes Diljit Dosanjh’s controversial film towards

Sardaar Ji 3 box office collection: Braving the controversy over the presence of Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in its cast, despite a ban imposed by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on artistes from the neighboring country in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, the Punjabi horror comedy Sardaar Ji 3 is continuing its successful run at the box office. In spite of not receiving a release in India due to the row, the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer raked in impressive moolah during its opening weekend, thanks to the overwhelming response it has been getting in Pakistan.

According to the makers, the third instalment in the Diljit Dosanjh-led franchise has grossed a whopping Rs 18.1 crore worldwide in just three days. Following a “record-breaking overseas opening” of Rs 4.32 crore on Friday (June 27), which rose to Rs 6.71 crore on day two, the horror comedy recorded a global gross of Rs 7.07 crore on Sunday, taking its total worldwide collection to Rs 18.1 crore. If the current trend continues and the movie manages to maintain momentum, Sardaar Ji 3 might even surpass the collection records set by the first two instalments in the franchise, further underscoring how much not getting a theatrical release in India has impacted its potential earnings.

Meanwhile, the film has also achieved another milestone by recording the biggest opening for an Indian movie in Pakistan. According to India Today, Sardaar Ji 3 earned Rs 3.5 crore (PKR) on its first day, surpassing the record previously held by director Ali Abbas Zafar’s Sultan (2016), featuring Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma and Randeep Hooda in key roles, which had minted Rs 3.4 crore (PKR) on its opening day.

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Although it’s been four days since the film hit screens, the controversy surrounding it seems far from over. Recently, legendary actor Naseeruddin Shah also came out in support of Diljit Dosanjh. In a now-deleted Facebook post, he wrote, “I STAND FIRMLY WITH DILJIT. The dirty tricks deptt of Jumla Party has been awaiting a chance to attack him. They think they’ve got it at last. He was not responsible for the casting of the film, the director was. But no one knows who he is whereas Diljit is known the world over, and he agreed to the cast because his mind is not poisoned.”

Breaking his silence on the matter, the singer-turned-actor told BBC Asian Network, “When the film was made, the situation was fine. This film was shot in February. A lot of things happened after that which are not in our control. When it (Pahalgam attack) happened, the producers knew that they can’t release this film in India anymore. But, they decided to release it overseas as they have invested a lot of money in the film. They will 100% suffer losses because they are removing an entire territory. The truth is when I signed the film, the situation was just fine. Now, when the producers want to release it overseas, I will have to stand with them and support their decision.”

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