Fawad & Vaani's 'Abir Gulaal' is finally releasing; but will the global gamble pay off?

It seems the aftershocks of the India–Pakistan entertainment freeze are far from over. Weeks after Sardaar Ji 3 found global success by completely bypassing Indian cinemas, another high-profile film, Abir Gulaal, is reportedly set to follow the same route.

The drama, headlined by Bollywood’s Vaani Kapoor and Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan, has been in limbo ever since tensions escalated earlier this year. Following the Pahalgam attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor, all Pakistani artists were banned from working in India, with industry bodies warning of strict penalties for those collaborating across the border. Initially slated for a May 9 release in India, Abir Gulaal was shelved indefinitely, but now, buzz suggests it will premiere globally on August 29, with India off the map.

This move draws a direct parallel to the recent case of Sardaar Ji 3, which starred Diljit Dosanjh alongside Pakistani actress Hania Aamir. Despite facing heavy backlash and boycotts in India, that film skipped a domestic release and stormed the overseas box office, breaking records and becoming the highest-grossing Punjabi film worldwide.

Interestingly, Vaani Kapoor herself had earlier defended Sardaar Ji 3’s international release, pointing out that the film was shot before the attacks and that halting its distribution would have impacted hundreds of livelihoods. “I don’t think he was meaning to disrespect the nation… He has taken measures as per whatever he thought was suitable to him,” she had said, stressing no laws were broken.

If the same strategy works for Abir Gulaal, it could mark a notable shift in the way Indo–Pak collaborative projects navigate geopolitical roadblocks, potentially choosing the global market over the Indian one when tensions rise.

For the entertainment industry, it’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, overseas releases keep projects alive and profitable. On the other, skipping India entirely means losing access to one of the world’s largest film markets and a passionate audience base.

Whether Abir Gulaal will meet the fate of Sardaar Ji 3’s runaway success or get lost in controversy remains to be seen. But one thing’s certain, the politics of borders is increasingly dictating the destiny of cinema.