There is a degree of online outrage against casting Iman Esmail as the heroine of Prabhas' movie directed by Hanu Raghavapudi. As per a media report, the actress originates from Karachi and is the daughter of a Pakistani military officer. "Her name has been changed to Imanvi online," a report by FPJ says.
Her Karachi origin is contested. Her digital footprint suggests that she was born in Delhi. Nevertheless, she has been described as a Pakistani actress by many. "Her mother is Indian. Her name has been changed to Imanvi online. Reportedly, her father is in the Pakistani army. If it was by a Hindi movie, the backlash would have been hard and strong," a tweet, which has amassed nearly half a million views on X, says.
Another tweet, with more than 70K views, says that a social media trend around the 'Boycott Fauji' theme must be launched.
In her defence, many Netizens wrote that Iman's father may be a Pakistani but she is an Indian citizen who has previously said on social media that she loves India. Prabhas' film with Hanu Raghavapudi will go on the floors soon. There is a danger that, in the run up to the movie's release in 2025 or 2026, online mood in northern India might be hostile towards the film. But it won't affect the box office performance of the movie, as the commercial success of films like SRK's 'Jawan' proved.
