Vaani Kapoor and Fawad Khan starrer Aabeer Gulaal reaches theatres; skips India

Just a week before it was to hit the theatres on May 9, the release of Abir Gulaal, led by Vaani Kapoor and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, was called off in light of the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Over three months on, Aarti S Bagdi’s directorial venture, now spelled Aabeer Gulaal, is set to arrive in theatres on August 29. But there’s a catch — its India release remains off the table. The romantic drama, produced by Vivek B Agrawal and India Stories Limited, will screen across cinemas in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and the Middle East. 

After the Pahalgam terror attack in April, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) called for a boycott of Pakistani artistes working in India and announced that they would block Aabeer Gulaal’s release. Now, the makers of the romantic drama — which was to mark Khan’s return to the big screen in India nine years after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) — are bypassing a release on home turf due to the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. A trade source reveals, “The film has not yet been picked up by any Indian streaming platform. In today’s scenario where digital rights sales often provide major revenue, this is unusual. A streaming debut in India is not in the offing.”

Aarti S Bagdi

The love story’s rollout remains uncertain across the border, even as Diljit Dosanjh’s Punjabi movie Sardaar Ji 3 performed exceptionally well in the market. We’ve heard that Aabeer Gulaal has yet to be granted certification from Pakistan’s three provincial certification boards — the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC), the Punjab Film Censor Board (PFCB), and the Sindh Board of Film Censors (SBFC). 

When mid-day reached out to Nadeem Mandviwalla, a leading distributor in Pakistan, he was optimistic about its release. He said, “A preliminary NOC has not been issued so far. Once that is done, it will go to the Pakistan censor bodies. The movies should run. People want to fight over entertainment, but only artistes end up losing in it. We were happy with the response to Sardaar Ji 3, which is the second-highest grosser in Pakistan after The Legend of Maula Jatt [2022]. We will try our best to release Aabeer Gulaal too.” Meanwhile, it has been submitted to the British Board of Film Classification. Trade insiders predict that the Middle East will be its strongest market.

mid-day reached out to Aabeer Gulaal’s makers, who confirmed that it will be released in cinemas around the globe, with the exception of India.

Nine
Years after which Fawad Khan was to return to Indian theatres. His last big-screen offering in India was ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ (2016). 

Different films, same route

In June, the makers of ‘Sardaar Ji 3’ adopted the same approach as the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer hit the screens around the globe, but skipped an India release. The film was boycotted in India as it starred Pakistani actor Hania Aamir. It had a strong run overseas.