Fawad Khan is set to make his Bollywood comeback with Abir Gulaal opposite Vaani Kapoor after staying away from Hindi films for a while. But the film’s fate already looks dicey as there is a resistance to it even before its release. The film’s teaser came out on Tuesday, which led to a lot of excitement from fans. However, the film is facing opposition from political leaders from the MNS and Shiv Sena, who recently spoke to Dainik Bhaskar, condemning Fawad’s return to Bollywood.
MNS Leader Ameya Khopkar said, “Hume aaj hi is film ke release ki jaankari mili, jab film ke makers ne iska elaan kiya. Lekin hum saaf taur par yeh keh rahe hain ki hum is film ko Maharashtra mein release nahi hone denge, kyunki ismein Pakistani actor ki maujoodgi hai. Hum kisi bhi haal mein aisi films ko Maharashtra mein release nahi hone denge. Hum is film se judi aur bhi jaankari juta rahe hain aur fir is par apna poora bayan saamne rakhenge. (We learned about the film today itself when the makers announced it. But we would like to make it clear that we will not let the film release in Maharashtra, since it stars a Pakistani actor. We will not let this film get released under any circumstances. As of now, we are gathering more details on the film and will issue our detailed statement soon).”
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, also condemning the movie, said, “When a film is released from Pakistan, Indian people do not like to watch it. It is a different thing to watch one or two films for a minute, but the films of Pakistani artists do not become very popular among the Indian audience. That is why Pakistani stars have never been able to succeed in India. I would advise Pakistanis that instead of exploring the Indian market, it is better to work in their own country. If the central government has made a policy, it should be implemented. I believe that the government should decide whether Pakistani films should be allowed to come to India or not. Whether Pakistani artists should be allowed to work in India or not should also be the government’s decision.”
In 2016, there was a ban on Pakistani artists working in India, following which, many artists like Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar and others stopped working in Indian films.