After an official ban and months of delay amid India–Pakistan tensions, Fawad Khan’s Bollywood film Abir Gulaal is finally set to hit cinemas worldwide—excluding India on 29 August 2025.
Originally slated for release on 9 May 2025, the film was barred from screening in India following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.
Tensions escalated further when the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) representing over 500,000 film and TV professionals reiterated its long-standing ban on Pakistani actors, singers, and technicians in Indian productions.
Starring Fawad Khan alongside Bollywood actress Vaani Kapoor, Abir Gulaal had already generated massive buzz before the controversy, with promotional campaigns in full swing, including a well-received music launch at Dubai’s Global Village on 19 April that drew enthusiastic crowds and wide media coverage.
But just days after the Pahalgam attack, audio company Saregama withdrew the film's tracks from circulation, effectively halting all promotional initiatives.
In light of these developments, the producers have shifted to what industry analysts describe as an “overseas-first” distribution strategy, a model recently exemplified by the Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3.
Despite being denied a theatrical release in India, the Diljit Dosanjh-led production, co-starring Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, achieved remarkable success internationally, grossing ₹70.10 crore and setting a new benchmark as the highest-earning Indian Punjabi film in overseas markets.
