The long-delayed film, starring Vaani Kapoor and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, will now premiere on August 29. The decision to skip its India release comes after political tensions led to a ban on Pakistani artists.
August 11, 2025: The romantic thriller Abir Gulaal, which stars Vaani Kapoor and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and has caused a lot of controversy, will eventually have its world debut on August 29. But the movie won’t come out in India because the two countries are at odds and Pakistani artists are not allowed to work there.
The movie was supposed to come out in India on May 9, but it was put on hold indefinitely after the Pahalgam incident and India’s Operation Sindoor in response. Indian cinema groups then banned all Pakistani artists and said that anyone who worked with them would face “strict consequences.”
Even though people liked the preview and songs for the movie at first, the political situation changed people’s minds, and Indian public called for the movie to be boycotted.
Both Vaani Kapoor and Ridhi Dogra, who is also in the cast, have gotten a lot of hate. Kapoor talked about the criticism at a recent event, saying, “I keep hearing ‘aaj isko boycott kar do, aaj isko cancel kar do,’ and I feel like there’s so much hate and toxicity.” Don’t do it, man. Give them space and let them be.
In a different statement, Dogra talked about how much she loved her country and defended her work. She said that things were different in politics when she signed the movie and that people shouldn’t “bully” her for the decisions she made.