Months after the film was blocked from release in India, Vaani Kapoor and Fawad Khan's Abir Gulaal will finally hit theatres. The film was initially scheduled for release two weeks after the deadly Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 souls and injured many. The incident prompted the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) to issue a blanket boycott on Pakistani actors and musicians. With Khan being a Pakistani national, the film faced immense backlash.
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A report by BizAsia stated that the film will get a global release with the obvious exception of India, much like Diljit Dosanjh’s Sardaar Ji 3. The film will reportedly be renamed Aabeer Gulaal. Initially scheduled for a May 9 release, the Aarti S. Bagdi directorial will now debut on August 29, competing with Janhvi Kapoor and Siddharth Malhotra’s Param Sundari.
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This is not the first time that Fawad Khan has come in the crosshairs of the India-Pak geopolitical battleground. Similar issues arose post the 2016 Uri attack, when controversy stirred around his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, also featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Aishwarya Rai. Abir Gulaal is supposed to mark the actor’s comeback into Bollywood.
ALSO READ | After facing similar heat, Vaani Kapoor defends Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Sardaar Ji 3’
Lead actress Vaani Kapoor recently addressed the controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh’s Sardaar Ji 3, defending the actor and the production, stating that they likely had no intention to “disrespect the nation”. "I am assuming his film was shot before the atrocious attack, and I am assuming, as a producer, his money must have been stuck,” the Mandala Murders actress said.
