Imanvi, who is set to make her Bollywood debut alongside Prabhas in the upcoming film Fauji, has spoken out publicly for the first time to address a wave of unfounded allegations linking her family to the Pakistan Army. The rumours emerged in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.
Amid the national mourning and rising online outrage, some social media users began calling for her removal from the film, accusing her family of having military ties across the border.
The controversy was fuelled by a number of unverified claims circulating online, targeting Imanvi—whose full name is Iman Esmail. These posts alleged that her father had once served as a Major in the Pakistan Army before the family relocated to the United States. Although no concrete evidence supported the accusations, they quickly went viral and sparked boycott demands from a section of the internet.
In response, Imanvi took to Instagram to share a heartfelt and firm open letter, where she not only condemned the attack and offered her condolences but also pushed back against the misinformation being spread about her. “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 (sic),” she wrote.
Clarifying her identity, Imanvi emphasized her Indian-American heritage, adding that she speaks Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, and English fluently. She stated that she was born in Los Angeles, California, after her parents legally immigrated to the United States as teenagers. The family went on to become American citizens, and she eventually pursued her passions in the performing arts, building a career as an actor, choreographer, and dancer after finishing her university studies.
Her statement has since drawn support from many in the film fraternity and beyond, who have rallied against the spread of unverified claims and communal divisiveness.
