Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback in Abir Gulaal rekindles hopes of cross-border harmony and revives the magic that once united South Asian cinema.
During the height of the pandemic, there wasn’t a screen or street corner you could go to where you wouldn’t hear someone sobbing uncontrollably over what Asher had done to Khirat. No, we’re not talking about some bat in China that made us smell our own breath for a year under suffocating masks and stock up on hand sanitizers.
We’re talking about a different kind of pandemic, one that had grown women, including mums and aunts, drooling over this brooding hunk of a man, who had decent, open-minded men turn into insecure basketcases, who’d hide into corners everytime Humsafar came on. And just when the hysteria over Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai had started to die down, the pandemic crossed borders.
And, for those who love their movies, the world was never the same again.
Growing up, many of us fondly remember piling onto the sofa to watch Hindi films with our families, rewinding favorite scenes until they nearly wore out. We had a soft spot not just for the big superstars but for every cameo that carried even the faintest whiff of the subcontinent’s shared history. “Did you know Dilip Kumar was originally from Peshawar?” “Oh, so and so aunt lived in Lahore where Dev Anand once performed.” These personal stories became shorthand for bridging differences across two nations that should have had more movie nights together.
Then one day, it felt like the door just slammed. Political tensions, a meltdown in cross-border relations, and an unspoken freeze left us with a cultural gulf. Pakistani star Fawad Khan, who had soared in hits like Khoobsurat and Kapoor & Sons, was effectively missing from Indian screens after 2016’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. For fans on both sides, it stung—it’s like losing a talented cousin who brightened up the family reunions.
Just like Farhan and Raju searching for Rancho, we were left wondering “Kahan gaya usse dhoondo”
A Ray of Color: “Abir Gulaal” Arrives on May 9
Turns out the wait may have ended. Fawad Khan posted a teaser for a new Bollywood film titled Abir Gulaal, co-starring Vaani Kapoor, set to release May 9. If you want to see a cross-border meltdown of excitement, just open social media. He’s in the trailer, perched behind the steering wheel in a rainy London, and the movie’s name references the powdery colors of Holi—fittingly symbolic for a story that seems determined to color over the black-and-white barriers of prejudice standing between us.
It’s a far cry from the times when both countries grew so cold that, for nearly eight years, Pakistani talent was effectively blocked from Indian cinema. Yet here we are: Fawad is singing R.D. Burman’s iconic “Kuch Na Kaho” from 1942: A Love Story while Vaani Kapoor challenges him on whether he’s flirting. Has normalcy returned? Possibly. And if a mere teaser has unleashed such hype, imagine the day the film actually hits the big screen.
Also Read: Actor Emad Irfani Feels the Love From Across the Border
The Ties That Bind…and Sometimes Unravel
We all know the backstory. Faster than you could say: “Mummy yeh aap kia keh rahy hain?” things went south after tensions escalated in 2016. Pakistani stars like Fawad, Mahira Khan, and Atif Aslam found the Bollywood door basically slammed shut. Indian producers declared a ban, and that was that. It was especially heartbreaking for fans who had discovered the brilliant synergy these cross-border collaborations produced—like Kapoor & Sons, a gem that combined Fawad Khan’s subtlety with Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra’s comedic timing.
But in 2023, the Bombay High Court finally declared a formal ban on Pakistani artists unlawful, proclaiming that art, music, and films unite people more than they divide. While that’s a far cry from official open arms, it did open a crack in the window. Now, we’re seeing Fawad Khan taking advantage of that fresh breeze. In a perfect world, he might have soared to become the next big Khan in Bollywood. Instead, these last nine years robbed him—and us—of a steady stream of roles.
Of Love, Colors, and Politics
Is everything sunshine and daisies now? Not exactly. While fans are ecstatic, certain political parties in India are rattling sabres again, threatening to block the film’s release in Maharashtra. Let’s not forget that The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022), Pakistan’s biggest blockbuster featuring Fawad, couldn’t secure an Indian release. The upshot? The tension still lingers. But amid the rhetorical crossfire, the average moviegoer is just thrilled at the possibility of seeing someone like Fawad Khan back on screen, serenading a monsoon night while his co-star raises her eyebrows at him in that classic rom-com way.
Like all good love stories, perhaps Abir Gulaal thrives on irony: “abir” (colored powder for Holi) meets “gulaal” (red color used in celebrations), but the two come from backgrounds that can’t see eye to eye. The film, set largely in London, is about strangers inadvertently helping each other heal from their own heartbreak—some real, some symbolic, a bit like the India-Pakistan dance we can’t stop watching.
Cultural Bridges and Chasing the Colors Back
Just a generation ago, Indian and Pakistani families used to swap cassettes of Nazia Hassan or watch each other’s soaps on pirated DVDs. That camaraderie felt so normal. Now, the memory often feels like a dream. Yet, perhaps the best yardstick for genuine change is how fans from both countries have rushed online to celebrate this news. People are tagging their Indian or Pakistani friends, exclaiming, “He’s back!” as if reacquainting with an old friend who’d moved abroad and never called.
But maybe that’s how progress happens—one heartfelt cameo at a time, or in this case, one Fawad Khan film. If “Abir Gulaal” can do justice to its name and sprinkle some overdue color into the hush that has pervaded cross-border entertainment, maybe we’ll see more bold producers and directors taking the leap.
A Shared Hope for the Cinema-Obsessed
There’s something uplifting—almost magical—about the power of shared storytelling. In a region that loves its musicals, comedic one-liners, and epic sagas, the greatest tragedy is a stifled creative exchange. So, if Fawad Khan crooning R.D. Burman tunes in Abir Gulaal becomes a hit, it’ll serve as a reminder: we’re capable of bridging differences when we let art do the talking.
Let’s hope the naysayers take a seat in the back row (or at least wait until the closing credits) so that fans can relish that “meet-cute” we’ve all been missing. After all, it’s been almost nine years—plenty of time for an entire generation of movie buffs to have grown up without ever seeing a Pakistani star share the stage with their favorite Indian actors. If that’s not reason enough to cheer the new normal, what is?
Yes, we might see friction, and we might see saboteurs, which in our lingo, we say Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (we dare you to not break out into the iconic song as you say those words, that is the power of movies that we can’t stop loving!), but the fact that a film with Fawad Khan is releasing at all on the Indian big screen is a step forward. And if love stories have taught us anything, it’s that hope and color can re-enter your life when you least expect it. If Abir Gulaal delivers on its promise, we’ll soon be humming along to those tunes on both sides of the border, wondering why it took this long for the monsoon rains to quench that dusty silence.
C’mon, think about it, can anything that looks like this ever be bad?
