In a major setback for the makers of the upcoming film, Abir Gulaal, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has decided that the film will not release in India, as it stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, alongside Bollywood actress Vaani Kapoor. This comes in the wake of the ghastly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
According to reports, sources of the I&B Ministry said that the government has already taken the decision to not allow the film's release in India. An official statement is now awaited.
The makers and the actors too have not reacted to the decision yet.
Abir Gulaal has been facing boycott calls ever since it was announced due to the presence of Fawad. The uproar got intensified after the Pahalgam terror attack, and several film bodies in the country even warned that if any Indian artist is found working with a Pakistani artist henceforth, they will get boycotted in the country as well.
Two songs of Abir Gulaal that had released so far also seem to have been taken down from YouTube India, and Vaani too has deleted a promotional video with Fawad which she had shared on the day of the Pehelgam attack (April 22).
As people called for a ban on Abir Gulaal in India, both Fawad and Vaani took to their Instagram handles to condemn the attack in Pehelgam. While the former prayed for the families of those killed, the latter said that she was numb and at a loss for words.
Abir Gulaal has been scheduled to release on May 9, and even if not in India, the film might still get a release in Pakistan, Dubai and other Gulf countries, that have a huge Indian population.
