Hyderabad: After the recent Pahalgam attack, Bollywood films with Pakistani actors faced strong hatred and boycott calls. Fans and the film industry decided to ban any movie featuring Pakistani stars. This led to many projects being stopped or delayed.
In June, Diljit Dosanjh’s movie Sardaar Ji 3 took a brave step by releasing only in other countries and skipping India. The film became a huge hit overseas. Now, Fawad Khan’s upcoming Bollywood film Abir Gulaal is planning the same move.
From Abir Gulaal to Aabeer Gulaal
The film, now renamed Aabeer Gulaal, will release worldwide on August 29 but will not come to Indian theatres. Directed by Aarti S Bagdi and produced by Vivek Agrawal, the romantic comedy stars Fawad Khan, Vaani Kapoor, Soni Razdan, Lisa Haydon, Ridhi Dogra, and Farida Jalal. It was shot completely outside India with a budget of Rs. 5- 10 crore.
Abir Gulaal was first planned to release in India on May 9. But after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor, relations between India and Pakistan became tense. Soon, a ban on Pakistani artists was reinforced, and Indian film bodies warned against working with them. Because of this, the makers cancelled the Indian release.
Before the controversy, the teaser and songs of the film got a great response from Indian fans, who were excited for Fawad’s Bollywood comeback after nine years. But after the attacks, people started calling for a boycott. Vaani Kapoor asked people not to follow “cancel culture,” while Ridhi Dogra said she signed the film when things between the two countries were normal.
