'Falsehoods Fabricated By Trolls': Prabhas' Fauji Co-Star Imanvi DENIES Pakistan Links, Calls Reports 'Slanderous'

Actress Imanvi, who is all set to mark her film debut alongside Prabhas, in his upcoming film, Fauji, reacted to reports claiming she is the daughter of a Pakistani military officer, and slammed trolls for spreading lies and hate online. This comes after netizens threatened to boycott Fauji after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.

Imanvi took to her Instagram handle to condemn the attack in Pahalgam and also deny any association or family ties with Pakistan. Calling herself a proud 'Indian American', she said that she was born in the US and spent most of her early life there, before deciding to be a part of Indian cinema.

"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," she began.

She then stated in the note, "I also want to address rumors and lies that have been falsely spread about my identity and my family 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."

She went on to say, "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 incredibly grateful to receive opportunities to work in the Indian film industry. This 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. 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 not divisiveness."

"As we mourn tragic loss of life, let's continue to spread love and uplift one another. Throughout history, art has been a medium that creates awareness, empathy, and connection across cultures, people, and experiences. I will work hard to ensure that this legacy carries on through my work and uplifts the experiences of my Indian heritage," she concluded.

Imanvi name change row

For those unversed, in August 2024, Imanvi grabbed eyeballs after reports went viral claiming that her real name is Iman Esmail, and that she came from a Pakistani military family.

The reports had alleged that Imanvi was born as Eman Esmail to a Pakistani military officer in Karachi, in 1995. The reports stated that the actress changed her name to conceal her Pakistani roots.

The makers of Fauji then received severe backlash for casting her in the film, which is reportedly a period drama based around the time of Subhash Chandra Bose.

While Imanvi did not address the chatter back then, it soon died down, after the renewed boycott calls post the Pahalgam attack, she decided to debunk the rumours and issue a statement once and for all.

Meanwhile, Prabhas is set to play a soldier in the pre-Independence British Army in Fauji. The film also stars veteran actors Mithun Chakraborty and Jaya Prada in pivotal roles, and details about the story have been kept heavily under wraps.