Prabhas Fans Back His 'Fauji' Co-Star Imanvi Amid Rumours Of Her Pakistani Heritage

Actor Iman Esmail, popularly known as Imanvi, addressed the speculation surrounding her heritage in a heartfelt social media post on Friday night, following the recent terror attacks in Pahalgam.

The emerging Tollywood star, who is also set to appear alongside Prabhas in the upcoming film 'Fauji', issued a clear statement to put an end to the rumours and to condemn the hateful discourse targeting her family.

Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/imanvi1013

Opening her statement with a message of solidarity, Imanvi wrote, "First and foremost, I want to express my most sincere and heartfelt condolences for the tragic event that took place in Pahalgam. My heart goes out to all those who lost their lives and their loved ones. Any loss of innocent life is tragic and weighs heavy on my heart. I strongly condemn the violent acts. As someone whose mission has always been to spread light and love through art, I hope to see a day soon where we can all come together as one."

However, the main focus of her post was to confront the false claims being spread online about her family's alleged ties to the Pakistani military.

These claims, which surfaced after the Pahalgam attack, suggested that Imanvi had Pakistani roots and family links to Pakistan's armed forces.

In her message, she strongly refuted the allegations, stating: "I also want to address rumours and lies that have been falsely spread about my family and my identity via fake news sources and online media in order to create division and spread hate. Firstly, nobody in my family has ever been or is currently associated with the Pakistani military in any way. This and multiple other falsehoods have been fabricated by online trolls for the sole purpose of spreading hate. What is especially disappointing is that legitimate news outlets, journalists and those on social media failed to investigate their source material and instead have simply repeated these slanderous statements."

Imanvi, who has risen to public attention for her work in Indian cinema, went on to clarify her personal background.

"I am a proud Indian-American who speaks Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, and English. I was born in Los Angeles, California after my parents legally immigrated to the United States as youth. Soon after they became American citizens. Upon completing my university education in the USA, I pursued a career in the arts as an actor, choreographer, and dancer. After much work in this realm, I am much grateful to receive opportunities to work in the Indian film industry. The same film industry has been a great influence in my life, and I hope to add to the incredible legacy of the trailblazers that came before me," she explained.

Emphasising her strong Indian identity, she added, "As someone who has Indian identity and culture running deep in my blood, I hope to use this medium as a form of unity and divisiveness." She concluded with a reaffirmation of her heritage and artistic mission: "I will work hard to ensure that this legacy carries on through my work and uplifts the experiences of my Indian heritage. Lots of love, Imanvi."

Mixed Reactions from Public

Despite her emphatic denial, Imanvi's statement drew criticism from some online users who accused her of changing her narrative. Several comments questioned her past statements, with some alleging she had previously identified as both Indian and Pakistani.

One user wrote, "Hold on, I can distinctly remember your bio having both flags and you saying you are half Indian and half Pakistani. For years I saw that. What happened?!"

Another recalled, "I definitely do remember loving your dance content for a long time because 1.) you are incredibly talented m'A but 2.) you always said you were a half Pakistani, half Indian, and Ismaili choreographer. I never saw someone with such talent who represented both Pakistan/India and the Muslim community before. You came and taught in Atlanta as 'Iman Esmail,' not Imanvi."

One emotionally charged comment expressed disappointment, stating, "I followed you for being an incredible dancer. Loved that you were both Indian and Pakistani. To see you deny your heritage just because of a career move feels disingenuous to me. I could never deny my own heritage because of a career move. It's quite sad as I was a huge fan of yours. This is only further adding to the discourse between the two countries 💔 Nothing wrong with changing your name or whatever, but to make up lies now and drop everything you branded yourself on before just because you are part of a political movie is sad. Lost respect today ❤️‍🩹."

Prabhas Fans Back Her Up

In contrast, fans of Prabhas, the Tollywood superstar, came out in full support of Imanvi. Social media was quickly flooded with positive messages from his devoted fanbase.

"Prabhas fans Full support 😍," commented one user. Another wrote, "Ignore the trolls mam. Waiting for your character in the Prabhas-Hanu movie. Big fan mam ❤️." A third echoed: "Don't worry madam full support from Prabhas Die hard fans🔥❤️✊ #Rebelwood."

As for 'Fauji', the much-anticipated period drama directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, Imanvi will appear in a key role opposite Prabhas. The film also stars Mithun Chakraborty and Jaya Prada and is set in the 1940s.

Described as a historical fiction/alternate history, the film follows the story of a warrior who rises to confront deep-rooted injustices. The production team, Mythri Movie Makers, has not yet released an official statement regarding the controversy.