It was in 2016 when we last saw Fawad Khan in Bollywood. It was Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which marked Fawad’s last outing in an Indian movie before the political tensions between India and Pakistan led to a complete ban on artistes from the neighbouring country.
However, things are looking on the brighter side after the ban was lifted in December 2023. And, if the latest reports are to be believed, Fawad Khan has signed his first Bollywood movie after a gap of eight years.
Fawad Khan, as per a report by Filmfare, has finally signed his first Bollywood project after eight years. He will be reportedly starring with Vaani Kapoor. Though the name of the movie is not revealed, it has come to our knowledge that the two will shoot a portion of it in London.
The report stated that Fawad has been roped-in with Vaani Kapoor in a film that’s about to go into production soon. The insider also revealed that the shoot of the untitled project will kick-start in London soon. The movie is currently in its pre-production.
An insider spilled the beans on his comeback project stating, “Fawad Khan has a massive international pull given his popularity amongst South Asians worldwide. He has also been a part of the Marvel cinematic universe. Details of this project is being kept under wraps and everyone is tight-lipped about it. The producers will announce this project just before it starts its filming schedule in UK.”
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This yet untitled film is Eastwood Studios’ first international collaboration. Eastwood Studios is a film company started by Vivek B Agrawal and Devang Dholakia. Vivek has previously produced acclaimed and cult films like ‘Queen’, ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Super 30’ and Netflix’s first series in India – ‘Sacred Games’, which became a global blockbuster on the platform.
The romantic comedy reportedly will tell the story of how two broken people come together by a stroke of luck and end up helping each other unintentionally and fall in love as an eventual byproduct of their electric connection.
A source shared, “Vaani Kapoor has been a part of big films and she was the perfect choice for this project, given how she has protected herself from being over-exposed. The makers wanted an incredibly fresh casting where Fawad falls in love with a gorgeous Indian girl and Vaani fit right in.”
The project is set to go on floors in September this year and will wrap by November.
Pakistani artistes faced a ban on working in India after Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) had passed a resolution to ban Pakistani actors from the industry following the Uri attack.
At the time, The president of IMPPA, TP Aggarwal said, “(The) IMPPA in their 87th annual general meeting passed (a resolution that) no Pakistani will be hired by their producer members forever.”
Apart from Fawad Khan, artistes like Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Rahet Fateh Ali Khan among other actors, singers, musicians, lyricists, and technicians faced trouble and had to stop working in India.
However, in December 2023, a petition demanding an outright ban on Indian individuals, businesses, and organisations working with Pakistani performers, including actors, singers, musicians, lyricists, and technicians, was denied by the Bombay High Court. Judges Sunil B. Shukre and Firdosh P. Pooniwalla presided over the court, which ruled that the petition lacked substance and was a “retrograde step in promoting cultural harmony, unity, and peace.”
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Apart from Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback project with Vaani, he will also be seen in a series called Barzakh. With this, he will be reuniting with Zindagi Gulzar Hai co-star Sanam Saeed. The show will start streaming from July 19.
Fawad will also be seen in Pakistan’s first Netflix project Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo. The actor is also producing and starring in Neelofar with Mahira Khan.
He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his romantic comedy Khoobsurat (2014), which marked his Bollywood debut. After acting in the family drama Kapoor & Sons (2016), he was praised by critics even more and was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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