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Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah is not one to walk back on his words. Days after he made a Facebook post supporting Diljit Dosanjh for working with Hania Aamir in Sardaar Ji 3 — the post has since gone missing from Facebook — Shah has clarified he stands by his statement and that he did not delete the post.

“I have NOT deleted my post about Diljit Dosanjh. I don’t care a fiddler’s fart for backlash,” he wrote in a new Facebook status.

In alleged screenshots of the post shared by Indian media, Shah had called out the “dirty tricks department of the Jumla Party,” saying that they had been looking for an excuse to target Dosanjh. “He was not responsible for the casting of the film — the director was,” he noted. “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.”

In a strong rebuke of efforts to discourage cultural exchange between India and Pakistan, Shah added, “What these goons want is to put an end to personal interaction between the people of India and Pakistan. I have close relatives and some dear friends there, and no one can stop me from meeting them or sending them love whenever I feel like it. And my response to those who will say ‘Go to Pakistan’ is — Go to Kailasa.”

Shah followed it up with a quote by German scientist and philosopher Georg Christoph Lichtenberg in another status: “It is almost impossible to carry the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody’s beard.”

The actor’s remarks come at a time when Dosanjh is facing criticism from right-wing Indian circles and some film bodies for working with Aamir. His Punjabi comedy film, which was released overseas and in Pakistan on June 27, was not released in India. It triggered a wave of angry calls for bans and subsequent messages of solidarity.

Dosanjh has responded briefly but firmly to the backlash. Most recently, he defended the makers of Sardaar Ji 3 for releasing it abroad without any cuts.

In an interview with BBC Asian Network, Dosanjh said, “When the film was being made, the situation was okay. When I signed the film, everything was okay. After that, there have been things that have been out of our control, and so, if the producers want to release the film abroad, I am with them.”

Dosanjh added that the producers made the decision not to release Sardaar Ji 3 in India to mitigate possible losses.