New Delhi: In a significant of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, several prominent Pakistani actors — including Mahira Khan (Raees), Fawad Khan (Kapoor & Sons), and Mawra Hocane (Sanam Teri Kasam) — have been digitally removed from Hindi film posters on music and streaming platforms in India.
The action follows anti-India remarks made by the actors after India’s Operation Sindoor, a military strike that targeted nine terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 Indian lives.
The erasure includes removal of Mahira Khan from the thumbnail of the popular song Zaalima, sparking widespread commentary on social media. “The level of pettiness is insane,” one user noted, reacting to the digital editing.
the level of pettiness is insane like no way they even removed mahira khan from the thumbnail of zaalima too https://t.co/fZ5bXMKhpR pic.twitter.com/YU4U6wyoEt
— desiburgerbacha (@shortiekiddo28) May 12, 2025
Actor Harshvardhan Kapoor also weighed in, commenting sarcastically on Mawra Hocane’s removal from Sanam Teri Kasam materials. “No, it’s again common sense I assume, weeding is being exercised,” he said in a statement, hinting at past claims Mawra had made about his PR team.
In a further escalation, Instagram has restricted access to the profiles of several Pakistani celebrities in India, including Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, Hania Aamir, Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Sajal Aly, and others. Users attempting to view their profiles from India now see a message stating: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
