The versatile Bahubali movie actor Prabhas is joining forces with director Hanu Raghavapudi for a much-anticipated period film, which is said to be named ‘Fauji,’ and the excitement is real! The film kicked off with a grand pooja ceremony in Hyderabad last week. The big surprise? A fresh face in the female lead – Iman Esmail, a.k.a. Imanvi, a content creator and dance choreographer.

She is making her big-screen debut alongside Prabhas! But who is Imanvi? How did she bag such a huge opportunity? Let’s find out!

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About Imanvi

Iman Esmail a.k.a Imanvi is from Los Angeles but was originally born in India. As per her IMDb page, her family hails from Karachi, Pakistan. Her father served in the Pakistani Army; later, when she turned eight, her family relocated to California.

Imanvi is a very talented dance choreographer and content creator with 878k followers on Instagram & 1.82 million subscribers on YouTube. In 2020, her choreography for the song Ramta Jogi from the Bollywood movie Taal went viral. Moreover, in the next year, her dancing reels gained substantial recognition.

How Did She Land This Dream Role?

When the film’s director, Hanu Raghavapudi saw Imanvi’s profile for the first time on Instagram, he was in awe. He thought she would be a perfect fit for the part given her expressive eyes and fantastic Bharatnatyam dance moves. Soon the filmmaker approached Imanvi for the role and asked her to come down to Hyderabad for an audition and look test.

“Imanvi was given a lengthy Telugu dialogue in her audition; she prepared well for the audition, took it as a challenge & effortlessly gave her lines. This was where the filmmakers were impressed with her clinical approach to acting,” says a source. Acing the look test, the filmmakers confirmed her as a female lead in the upcoming Telugu movie alongside Prabhas.

Fulfilling Her Mother’s Wish!

Imanvi’s mother was her biggest support, be it in choosing a dancing career or hyping her up for other endeavours. Unfortunately, she lost her mother a couple of years ago. With Imanvi now being a part of blockbuster actor Prabhas’s film, Imanvi & her late mother’s heart would be full!

Earlier in an interview, the actress opened up on how she chose dancing as a career and said, “Growing up I wasn’t formally trained (in dancing). But my mom would show me Rekha ji, Madhuri (Dixit) ji, Vyjayanthimala ji, all these evergreen, beautiful actresses, and she’d be like, look at their expressions. Look at how they move and the way they use classical movements in their choreography. I learned by watching because of her.”

What Is The Movie About?

Directed by Hanu Raghavapudi and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the official synopsis of the film reads, “Set in the 1940s, it follows a warrior on a mission to seek justice for his homeland. In a world where war is seen as the only answer to injustice, the lead rises from obscurity to challenge the forgotten truths that history has buried.” Apart from Prabhas, the film will also star Mithun Chakraborty and Jaya Prada in key roles.

Did You Know?

Known for bagging a female lead role in her debut film alongside Prabhas, the dancer-actor also starred in the short film “Being Sa-rah,” which tells the story of a Pakistani immigrant. She portrayed the main character in the film.

Imanvi’s journey from content creation to the big screen is nothing short of inspiring. Her dedication and unique talent have earned her a breakthrough role in a major Telugu film, sharing the screen with a versatile actor like Prabhas. Her story is a powerful reminder to every creator that hard work and passion can open doors to incredible opportunities. Keep pushing forward—your big moment might be just around the corner!