From Sardar Ji 3 controversy to Border 2, how Diljit Dosanjh emerges victorious in every difficulty by twisting his moustache
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The man who doesn’t back down
Twisting his moustache and dancing to his own tune, Diljit Dosanjh has built a reputation for speaking his mind and standing firm on his decisions.
Punjab’s biggest cultural export to the world isn’t just a singer, actor or artist – he’s a force that can’t be pushed around.
Tackling the Sardar Ji 3
When Diljit announced that Pakistani star Hania Aamir would be seen in his film Sardar Ji 3, he immediately faced backlash. Did he back down?
Absolutely not. In classic Diljit style, he teased fans on social media before making the big announcement.
Despite the film being geoblocked in India on YouTube amid India-Pakistan tensions, Diljit proudly shared the trailer on his Instagram.
When the film was released only in overseas markets (including Pakistan), he unabashedly posted videos of audiences celebrating in Pakistani theatres and regularly updated his followers about its international box office success.
Border 2 and No Entry 2: Silencing critics in style
The Sardaar Ji 3 controversy threatened to affect his upcoming Bollywood projects.
When the Federation of Western India Cine Employees expressed concern about his casting in Border 2, rumours spread that he had been dropped from the war drama.
Diljit’s answer? A behind-the-scenes video of himself in an Indian Air Force uniform on the Border 2 sets, twirling a moustache.
Set to the song “Sandese Aate Hain” from the original film, the video broke the internet and silenced critics.
He then shared another BTS montage with co-stars Ahan Shetty and Mona Singh, which also featured No Entry 2 producer Boney Kapoor and director Anees Bazmee – effectively putting an end to rumours of his exit from that project as well.
Challenging the authorities and knowing when to bow down
Diljit started 2025 by meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it “a great start” and “a memorable meeting”.
Yet this is the same artist who criticised online trolls when he misspelled Punjab in a post and forgot to add the Indian flag.
When the Telangana government sent him a legal notice about not promoting alcohol in his songs ahead of his Hyderabad concert, he cleverly changed the lyrics and also pointed out the double standards.
At his Gujarat show, he cleverly said: “Good news. Today I did not get any notice. Today also I will not sing any song about alcohol.
This is because Gujarat is a dry state.”
Teaching Bollywood to play by his rules
Though he was already a star in Punjabi cinema when he made his Bollywood debut in 2016’s Udta Punjab, he was treated like a newcomer.
Undaunted, Diljit made it clear that he would make his Hindi film career on his own terms.
“I am not making much money in Bollywood,” he told PTI in 2018.
“I am making more money doing shows and Punjabi films.
I am not running after money here – I am experimenting with films and roles. If I don’t like something, I say no.”
The unstoppable GOAT
Today, Diljit stands taller than ever. After proving his acting talent as Amar Singh Chamkila, he became the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella and made a royal debut at the Met Gala, partying with Shakira, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas.
With Sardaarji 3 nearing ₹50 crore worldwide and major Bollywood projects in the pipeline, Diljit Dosanjh continues his rise.
From next year, a Canadian university will also launch a course studying his global impact on pop culture.
In an industry where many succumb to pressure, Diljit Dosanjh remains refreshingly, unapologetically himself.
