After the brutal Pahalgam terror attack, the Fawad Khan-starrer Abir Gulal has found itself in hot water. According to a report by Indian Express, the movie featuring the Pakistani actor will not be released. Here’s a complete timeline of the controversy.
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The teaser of the rom-com, which shows the Pakistani actor alongside Vaani Kapoor, created massive buzz as it marked the Bollywood comeback of the actor. In the teaser, Fawad is seen singing "Kuch Naa Kaho" from the movie 1942: A Love Story while sitting in a car on a rainy evening in London.
Even before the heinous attack, the teaser of the movie, released on April 1, faced opposition from political parties such as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena due to the casting of the Pakistani actor.
After terrorists backed by Lashkar-e-Taiba killed at least 26 civilians and injured many on April 22, objections against the release of the movie, scheduled for May 9, intensified.
Two songs from the movie—romantic song Khudaya Ishq and energetic number Angreji Rangrasiya—were removed from YouTube India. Both songs, which were earlier uploaded on Saregama's YouTube channel, were taken down. Another song, Tain Tain, which was supposed to release on Wednesday, was not released.
The actor, who was earlier criticized for his silence on the Pulwama attack during the release of his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in 2016, condemned the attack in his Instagram story. "Deeply saddened to hear the news of the heinous attack in Pahalgam. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this horrifying incident, and we pray for strength and healing for their families in this difficult time," the actor wrote.
The outrage and backlash against the release of the movie following the attack led to #BoycottAbirGulaal trending on social media platforms.
The movie featuring Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor has faced strong opposition from the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), which announced a complete ban on Pakistani artists working in India. An Indian Express report stated that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has banned the release of Abir Gulal.
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