A high-profile music video featuring Pakistani film star Mehwish Hayat and Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh has sparked a political and legal storm in the UK, as per Deadline exclusive report. The Home Office is now considering banning both artists from entering the country.
The controversy centers around Singh’s viral track “Jatt Mehkma,” a gangster-style music video released last November that has garnered nearly 40 million views on YouTube. The four-minute video, shot at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire and Birmingham city center, features dramatic shootouts — including scenes where young children wield imitation automatic weapons and shotguns to support Hayat’s character in a stylized attack.
The video has since drawn the attention of Manuela Perteghella, MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, who submitted a formal complaint to the UK Home Office. Deadline has learned that officials are actively considering exclusion orders against both Hayat and Singh — a rarely invoked immigration measure used against foreign nationals deemed “not conducive to the public good.”
“I’m waiting for the Home Office response to our queries,” Perteghella told Deadline, declining further comment.
Such exclusion orders are typically not made public, but individuals are notified in writing. According to sources familiar with the situation, the Home Office may see this path as a more efficient alternative to initiating legal proceedings. West Midlands Police have also reportedly been informed, though they have not issued a public response.
The potential bans come amid broader concerns that the video may have violated UK laws, including those governing imitation firearms and child protection. The imagery has sparked outrage among community leaders, youth advocates, and religious figures.
“As someone who has worked with vulnerable youth for nearly two decades, I find this incident profoundly disturbing,” said Shaykh Paul Salahuddin Armstrong, managing director of the Association of British Muslims and a chaplain at the University of Birmingham.
“To see British children brandishing imitation firearms in a stylised gang scene, filmed on our soil and facilitated by UK production companies, is not only a moral failure, but potentially a legal one.”
“This is not art. It is the reckless glorification of violence, dressed up as cultural entertainment. It undermines all our collective efforts to steer young people away from gang culture and towards lives of dignity, purpose, and contribution to society.”
The song, created by Singh and directed by Mihir Gulati, has stirred debate within the UK’s media and music industries. While the BBC Asian Network initially featured the track, it has since distanced itself.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Each track is considered for the playlist based on its musical merit and whether it is right for our target audience, with decisions made on a case-by-case [basis].”
Hayat, who rose to international recognition for her role in Marvel’s Ms. Marvel and Pakistani hits like Load Wedding and Actor in Law, appeared in three episodes of the Disney+ series. Singh, one of India’s most recognizable hip-hop artists, was the subject of the recent Netflix documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous. He boasts over 19 million Instagram followers.
Despite their celebrity status, neither artist has responded to multiple requests for comment. Blue Bling Production House, a UK-registered firm credited with involvement in the shoot, has attempted to clarify its role.
“I only handled logistics, including accommodation, transport, and catering services,” said founder Vipulkumar Sharma, distancing the company from creative decisions. The fallout raises urgent questions about artistic responsibility, child safety, and the regulation of global content produced in the UK. While exclusion orders remain rare, the case of Jatt Mehkma could set a precedent for how the British government responds to foreign media that treads into ethically or legally murky waters.
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