Fawad Khan and Bollywood actress Vaani Kapoor have officially started filming their romantic comedy called Abir Gulaal at different locations in and around London. According to an exclusive report in Variety, this development marks a much-awaited return to Bollywood by Khan.
Chalti Rahe Zindagi is an Indian film directed by Aarti S Bagdi, for Indian Stories, A Richer Lens, and Aarjay Pictures, with the crew comprising Vivek B Agrawal, Avantika Hari, and Rakesh Sippy, and filming will take place in October and November in the UK.
According to Director Bagdi, here is a story of two people unaware of the help they might be giving to the other in terms of healing and inadvertently lead each other towards love. The film has a unique narration as well as immense emotional depth.
Producers have taken into consideration Khan’s gigantic fan following all around the world and are assured that audiences will slowly grow to love the movie. “The on-screen chemistry between Fawad and Vaani is sure to ignite fire on celluloid with their scintillating performances and undeniable charm,” they said.
Apart from this, Khan’s return to Indian cinema remains a speculation topic. There were reports where he would also appear in a cameo opposite Kapoor and Ridhi Dogra in the highly awaited Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 starring Kartik Aaryan. But according to his confirmation currently, Abir Gulaal is the only project with which Khan is currently associated in India.
Fawad Khan was last seen on the silver screen of Bollywood back in Karan Johar’s 2016 romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, where he has shared the screen with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. The comeback is particularly significant as the All Indian Cine Workers Association had banned Pakistani artists, starting with 2019, following a series of Pulwama attacks. Like the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association made similar rules restricting Pakistani talent working in India back in 2016.
In another landmark legal ruling, the Bombay High Court last year had dismissed a petition calling for a complete ban on Indian entities hiring Pakistani artists. The court believed that this petition would undermine its efforts at cultural harmony and did not have any merit to it. Indian Supreme Court supported this verdict and in its judgment described that the whole approach regarding this matter should not be narrow-minded but emphasizes unity and collaboration in arts.