Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah has landed in hot water after deleting a Facebook post in which he had strongly defended singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh. The post came amid the ongoing backlash surrounding Dosanjh’s role in the upcoming film Sardaar Ji 3, which stars Pakistani actress Hania Aamir. While Shah’s initial comments were applauded by many, his decision to remove the post didn’t sit well with social media users — who are now calling it a “U-turn.”
The post, which was up briefly, had Shah accusing India’s ruling party’s “dirty tricks department” of targeting Diljit unfairly. He made it clear that the actor had no control over the casting and praised him for being open-minded and refusing to participate in hate-driven narratives. “Diljit is known the world over, and he agreed to the cast because his mind is not poisoned,” Shah wrote. He went on to say that no political agenda could ever stop him from showing love to people across the border, referring to his personal connections in Pakistan.
However, soon after removing the post, Shah became the target of intense trolling on X (formerly Twitter). Critics didn’t hold back. One user wrote, “So, Naseeruddin Shah deleted his post — but only from social media, not from his mind.” Another added, “Maybe he remembered where the money comes from.” Some accused him of cowardice, while others questioned his loyalty to India.
Adding fuel to the fire, Shah then shared a cryptic quote by German philosopher Georg Christoph Lichtenberg: “It is almost impossible to carry the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody’s beard.” The post, although subtle, seemed to hint that Shah was standing by his original opinion — just not publicly anymore.
This latest twist has intensified the already fiery debate around Sardaar Ji 3. Earlier, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali also stood by Diljit, calling him sincere and real. On the other hand, TV actress Rupali Ganguly criticized the actor for his choice to work with a Pakistani co-star.
