Pakistan actor Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor of India have begun shooting production Bollywood production ‘Abir Gulaal’ in London, reported Variety this week.
The film, set to be a romantic comedy, is directed by Aarti S. Bagdi and will be shot in the United Kingdom over October and November.
Deadline first broke the news of the impending production in July earlier this year.
“The film explores the journey of two individuals who unintentionally help each other heal, with love blossoming as an unexpected consequence,” Bagdi was quoted as saying.
Since 2016, there has been an unofficial ban on Pakistani artists working in Indian films, following political differences between the two countries, added Variety.
However, in 2023, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition seeking to officially ban Pakistani artists from working in India.
“Arts, music, sports, culture, dance, and so on are the activities which rise above nationalities, cultures, and nations and truly bring about peace, tranquility, unity, and harmony in nation and between nations,” the court had said in its ruling.
Last year, Fawad in an interview with CNN spoke about the significance of the film being potentially released in India, and the importance of cultural diplomacy between the two nations.
Fawad is popular in India and has previously played the lead in Bollywood productions such as ‘Khoobsurat’ (2014) and ‘Kapoor & Sons’ (2016).
“Fawad has a massive global fan base, and we anticipate that audiences and his fans will wholeheartedly embrace this film, as it showcases him in his most endearing role yet,” added Bagdi.
He also starred in ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ – Pakistan’s highest-grossing film, which was slated to be released in India on October 2.
Its release is currently on hold after a right-wing fringe group objected to it.
Fawad is also the lead of hit Zindagi series ‘Barzakh,’ which debuted at Series Mania in 2023.
Kapoor is the lead in upcoming Netflix crime thriller series ‘Mandala Murders’ and Bollywood drama-comedy ‘Badtameez Gill.’