By Chirag Sehgal,News18

Copyright news18

Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor starrer Aabeer Gulaal released globally recently. While the film is banned in India, it has not received positive reviews from international news portals as well. The film has disappointed critics and is being called one of the worst romantic dramas ever.
BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid felt that the film cheap and frustrating. “I found this to be one of the most frustrating romantic dramas I’ve watched in a very long time. Not only does it look cheap, but it is such an incoherent, inconsistent storyline, which is such an injustice to the talent that you’re working with,” he said.
Gulf News also gave Aabeer Gulaal a negative review, a part of which read, “Aabeer Gulaal is bloated, padded with unnecessary segues that drag the runtime. Lisa Haydon’s cameo is the biggest offender—it adds nothing, apart from reminding us that Bollywood can’t resist shoehorning in familiar faces. A tighter cut would have sharpened the storytelling and saved us from mid-movie fidgeting,”
Khaleej Times also called Fawad Khan starrer a “nostalgia turned cliché”. On the other hand, USA Pillar’s review also reads, “The movie is weighed down by unnecessary subplots and cameo appearances that add little to the overall story. For instance, Lisa Haydon’s appearance feels shoehorned in, more like a distraction than an addition. Such indulgences make the middle act drag, and at times, the pacing suffers. The audience may find themselves fidgeting, waiting for the film to get back on track.”
Why Is Aabeer Gulaal Banned In India?
Abir Gulaal marked Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback after nine years. The actor previously appeared in three Bollywood films, including Khoobsurat (2014), Kapoor & Sons (2016) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), all of which garnered considerable attention owing to his popularity among Indian audiences.
However, the film’s release in India was stopped after the terror attack in Pahalgam when Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists. The incident killed 27 people, and the Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, took responsibility for the attack.
Following the shocking incident, India enforced a complete ban on Pakistani artists. Their Instagram accounts are also not accessible in India. Besides this, Pakistani shows were also removed from YouTube.