Bollywood actor Vaani Kapoor was all set to star opposite Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in his Bollywood comeback film Abir Gulal. However, following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, the film faced significant backlash, and government sources told PTI that the movie would not be allowed to release in India.
Amid this controversy, all traces of the film’s promotional activities were removed from Vaani Kapoor’s Instagram account. Soon after the Pahalgam attack, posts related to Abir Gulal and Fawad Khan — including posters, teasers, and behind-the-scenes content — disappeared from her profile.
According to Times Now, Vaani herself did not delete the posts. The content had been shared as Instagram collabs, and the actual deletion was carried out by the film’s production team. As a result, the posts were automatically removed from her profile as well.
This development coincided with Instagram accounts of several Pakistani artistes — including Fawad Khan, Hania Aamir, Mahira Khan, Atif Aslam, and others — being restricted in India after the Pahalgam terror incident. Users trying to access these profiles from within India now see a blank page with the message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
For context, Abir Gulal, a romantic drama directed by Aarti S. Bagdi and produced by Vivek Agrawal, was originally slated for release in India on 9 May. However, following the attack and rising political tensions between India and Pakistan, government sources stated: “The movie Abir Gulaal, starring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, will not be allowed to release in India.”
