Mahira, Fawad, Mawra removed from movie posters amid India-Pakistan tensions
What's the story
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, popular Pakistani actors Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, and Mawra Hocane have been removed from Bollywood film posters on music platforms. The decision was taken after the trio made controversial comments on India following its military operation on terror launch pads in Pakistan. The operation was launched in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives on April 22.
Twitter Post
'Zaalima's new poster
the level of pettiness is insane like
— mitro modi jee gay hain (@shortiekiddo28) May 12, 2025no way they even removed mahira khan from the thumbnail of zaalima tooðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ https://t.co/fZ5bXMKhpRpic.twitter.com/YU4U6wyoEt
Twitter Post
'Sanam Teri Kasam's new posterÂ
This is insane. Makers of Sanam Teri Kasam removed Mawra Hocane from the song thumbnail itselfðŸ˜
— Raymond. (@rayfilm) May 12,
Next what? Photoshopping her face with another actress in theentire film?😂 pic.twitter.com/bLusa25UtP 2025
Reaction
'Weeding is being exercised': Harshvardhan on Hocane's removal
The actors' erasure from the posters of Raees, Kapoor & Sons, and Sanam Teri Kasam has stirred conversations among fans. Hocane's co-star in Sanam Teri Kasam, Harshvardhan Rane, reacted to her removal and told Hindustan Times, "No, it's again common sense, I assume, weeding is being exercised." This comes after Hocane had accused Rane of using his exit from Sanam Teri Kasam 2 as a "PR strategy" amid the India-Pakistan tensions.
Ban
Indian Instagram accounts of Pakistani actors banned
Apart from their exclusion from film posters, the Instagram handles of many Pakistani actors have also been banned in India. Among them are Hania Aamir, Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas, Sajal Aly, and the above-mentioned trio. When accessed from India, users are redirected to a blank page saying "Account not available in India," complying with a legal request to restrict this content.