Diljit & Hania's 'Sardaar Ji 3' Becomes Biggest Indian Opener In Pakistan Beating 'Sultan'

Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa starrer Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3 courted major controversy in India due to the casting of Pakistani actress/influencer Hania Aamir in a prominent role.

Amid the strong protest demanding the boycott and ban on the film as well as Diljit Dosanjh, the singer and actor, Sardaar Ji 3 skipped India release and opened overseas on June 27.

Now, the very same reason (Hania Aamir’s casting) that led to Diljit skipping the India release of Sardaar Ji 3 has resulted in a record breaking response in Pakistan.

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According to a report in Pinkvilla, Sardaar Ji 3 has become the biggest opener of Indian cinema in Pakistan beating the 10-year-old record of Salman Khan starrer Sultan.

The film has collected over $500K (Rs 4.50 crore) overseas on day one making it the biggest opener for a Punjabi film beating Jatt and Juliet 3 and Carry On Jatta 3. However, those two films had a mid-week release.

In Pakistan, Diljit starrer made $120K (PKR 3.35 crore). Sultan’s lifetime biz in Pakistan was Rs 33 crore and is currently the second biggest grosser in the country.

Going by the opening day of Sardaar Ji 3 and the love that it has received from the audiences, the Diljit Dosanjh starrer has a shot at becoming the top grosser beating Sanju which made Rs 37.60 crore.

Having said that, the top overseas market for the film was Canada where it made CAD 195K. In Australia, the film made $80K.

While Sardaar Ji 3 is expected to be a big grosser overseas, the lack of business in India will affect it in a big way. Besides the loss of theatrical biz, the non-theatrical revenue is also quite a setback.