Boycott Prabhas: Fauji Team Faces Backlash For Casting 'Daughter Of Pakistani Military Officer' Iman Esmail Aka Imanvi

After the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried out by Islamist extremists in the heart Kashmir, fresh calls for boycott of Pakistani artists have been made in India. Vaani Kapoor, who is featuring opposite Fawad Khan in the upcoming film Abir Gulaal, is being brutally trolled online for working with the actor and promoting the film aggressively in Dubai and on her Instagram handles. Now, Prabhas is also facing boycott calls. His upcoming film Fauji, directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, will feature Iman Esmail, who is reportedly of Pakistani origin.

Iman Esmail aka Imanvi is the daughter of a Pakistani military officer?

Iman Esmail reportedly originally belongs to Karachi and is the daughter of a Pakistani military officer. Her mother is said to be an Indian. Her name has been changed to Imanvi. Many have alleged that this was done to make her "blend" in well before her Tollywood debut opposite Prabhas in Fauji. The film was officially greenlit in August last year, with Imanvi attending the puja ceremony of the film with the Kalki 2898 AD star, the producers and director Hanu Raghavapudi.

Also read: Don't Think We Like Films Bashing PAK: Saif Ali Khan's Old Sympathy Remark On Terror Nation Blows Up Post Pahalgam Attack

Those who objected to her casting back when the film was announced launched a fresh attack at the makers of Fauji once again with boycott calls on social media. Some claimed that if such a casting move were pulled off in Bollywood, there would have been severe backlash. The Hindi film industry has a hard stance against Pakistani artists and cross-border collaborations, although very few are met with immediate takedown of the teams involved. However, contrary claims about Imanvi's Pakistani roots continue to divide netizens.

Also read: Samay Trolled For 'Using' Pahalgam Attack For Comeback Amid IGL Row

"I request all Telugu friends, regardless of their ideology, to not allow Pakistani garbage in the Telugu industry," commented a social media user. Another one wrote, "There aren't any other actresses in Andhra/Telangana??"

Imanvi describes herself as an actor, dancer and choreographer in her Instagram bio. She has close to 9 lakh followers on the social networking app.