Our Bureau
Mumbai
The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has confirmed a ban on the release of the Fawad Khan-Vaani Kapoor starrer ‘Abir Gulaal’ in India following the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack on April 22. Helmed by Aarti S. Bagdi, the film was set to hit the theatres on May 9, bringing back the theme of “love” to the big screens.
The official announcement was made after Ashoke Dubey, the General Secretary of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) had already declared a ban on Pakistani artists working in India.
Dubey had warned that if any Indian national is abetting Pakistani artists, action will be taken against them, too. “Since this is a matter of national interest, the nation comes first. The continuous attacks, including the recent one in Pahalgam on our tourists, are shameful. We have again issued a press release stating that if any of our members are found working with Pakistani artists or technicians, we will take action against them and stop working with them,” he elaborated in a conversation with news agency ANI.
Earlier, the federation had called for a boycott of Pakistani artists, singers and technicians in the Indian film industry following the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
Following the attack on Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, social media had erupted with reactions, campaigning to boycott the film, using hashtags like #boycottAbirGulaal and #boycottpakistaniactors. Like other celebrities condemning the attack, Khan too had taken to social media platform X to pay his tributes to victims of the dastardly tragedy. “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.” His co-star Kapoor also voiced her sorrow stating that she is feeling “numb” and “devastated,” offering prayers for the affected families.
The Raj Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had been strongly opposing the release of the movie, which was supposed to be a Bollywood comeback for Khan after a hiatus of nine years.
