The highly awaited romantic drama Abir Gulaal, directed by Aarti S. Bagdi and starring Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor released globally on September 12, 2025. Instead of the collective accolades expected, Abir Gulaal arrived with an overall disappointment and disappointment from critics. Core issues stem from a lack of cohesive storytelling, lack of character development, and pacing issues that disrupted an otherwise enjoyable rom com.
Problems of Execution
Critics were particularly harsh in relation to technical execution.
Numerous reviews reference excessive and slow editing, especially in the second half of the film. This caused the pace of the movie to drag . Additionally, Lisa Haydon’s cameo was criticized for not contributing anything meaningful to the narrative, perhaps meant as a fun interlude. Various other supporting characters were referred to as “half-baked” and dished to leave viewers with loose strings. As Fawad Khan returned to the Bollywood landscape after a long hiatus, his performance left viewers disappointed. Most wished for more depth in his performance and blamed the miss for fabricated chemistry. Additionally, depth of character development was arguably only present in portions of the story.
Shadows of Controversy
Before its release, Abir Gulaal was shrouded in political controversy and ban from release in cinemas in India; much of this confrontation was due to the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. It led to many film associations of supporters calling for boycott and inappropriate behaviour of the actors. All the controversy lessens the blow of disappointment for the viewers critics as preconceived had already socialized minimal viewers up until release.
Despite its aspirations of being a lighthearted romance crossing cultural boundaries, Abir Gulaal ends up hampered by its uneven execution, good intentions and high-profile names notwithstanding.
