Abir Gulaal Actor Ridhi Dogra On Film's Release Postponement: "I Stand…"
New Delhi:
Popular actress Ridhi Dogra, who has acted in Fawad Khan’s Abir Gulaal, reacted to the film’s release postponement in an interview with a paparazzo. Asked if she felt bad when the film was pushed back following the Pahalgam attack, Ridhi said, “No, it’s something beyond us. I stand with my country. That’s foremost.”
When asked if she could share a moment of excitement from the film, Ridhi said, “No, I can’t. Everything is in different stages… I would love to but I can’t.”
Earlier, when she was asked about featuring in a film being headlined by a Pakistani actor amid India-Pak tensions, she said she had to check the ‘government rules’ about it before saying yes to the film.
She later posted on social media clarifying her stance after being called “dual faced.” Ridhi Dogra wrote, “I DID when my government allowed it. And I stand by the laws and rules… But I also know Peace, Grace and Harmony is important for a healthy civilisation. Yes there’s duality in the words but that is the very life we lead.”
After the Pahalgam attack, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, an organisation of movie artists, pushed for the movie’s boycott. The organisation had called for boycotting Pakistani artists, singers and technicians in the Indian film industry after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which claimed the lives of 35 paramilitary personnel.
Following the Pahalgam attack, this organisation renewed its directive. “Despite the ongoing directive, we’ve been made aware of the recent collaboration with Pakistani actor Fawad Khan for the Hindi film, ‘Abir Gulaal’. In light of the recent attack in Pahalgam, FWICE is once again compelled to issue a blanket boycott on all Pakistani artists, singers and technicians participating in any Indian film or entertainment projects. This includes performances or collaborations occurring anywhere in the world,” the organisation said in a statement.
Abir Gulaal, featuring Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor in the lead, would have marked Fawad’s Bollywood comeback almost after a decade.
Following the Operation Sindoor and escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the government had asked OTT platforms to remove all Pakistani contents from their respective channels.
