Fawad Khan’s Abir Gulaal to premiere in UAE cinemas on this date

For fans of Fawad Khan, the wait for his big Bollywood comeback has been nothing short of a saga, and the story has taken yet another twist.

Cinemagoers in the UAE can mark their calendars — Abir Gulaal hits theatres on August 29, 2025, according to a Vox Cinemas listing. With Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor leading the cast, and all the cross-border buzz it’s been stirring, the UAE is poised to be one of its biggest international box office draws.

The film, earlier titled Abir Gulaal, follows Gulaal (Kapoor), a spirited woman who bolts from an arranged marriage and heads to London. There, she crosses paths with Aabeer (Khan), a charming restaurateur carrying his own emotional baggage.

Originally slated for a May 9 release, Abir Gulaal faced early resistance from political groups, including the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. The pushback intensified after the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. In the wake of heightened tensions and national grief, the film’s release was put on hold.

Now, months later, distributor Indian Stories Limited has confirmed the film will skip Indian theatres entirely, but screen internationally.

Fawad Khan had earlier starred in Bollywood hits such as Kapoor and Sons (2016), and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016).