Skip to content
 
Search

Latest Stories

Instagram blocks profiles of Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in India amid rising tensions

The move follows a broader crackdown on Pakistani digital content as political tensions between India and Pakistan escalate.

Instagram Restricts Top Pakistani Artists in India Over Tensions

Pakistani stars Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan among celebrities whose Instagram profiles are now blocked in India

Getty Images
Pooja Pillai
By Pooja PillaiMay 02, 2025
Pooja Pillai
Pooja was born in Kochi and raised on a mix of newspapers, pop culture, and too many questions. She studied Communicative English and Journalism before earning her Master’s in Journalism from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and began her career interning at The Times of India and Channel I'M — where she later became a news anchor, scripting and presenting her own stories. Between deadlines, she’s worked across digital media platforms, covering politics, gender, pop culture, cinema, and everything in between. She has interviewed actors, creators, and changemakers, and occasionally edits her own video content — thanks to being certified in Photoshop and InDesign. In 2025, she joined the Asian Media Group in her first “official” newsroom gig, where she now covers entertainment, lifestyle, and the layered realities of South Asian identity. She believes storytelling should feel personal — even when it’s public — and likes to write not to please, but to provoke, question, and occasionally stir the pot.
See Full Bio
Follow:

The Instagram profiles of Pakistani celebrities like Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan are no longer accessible in India. This development comes just weeks before Fawad’s planned Bollywood return with Abir Gulaal and follows a series of social media restrictions tied to the worsening India–Pakistan relationship.

When Indian fans try to view the artists' Instagram pages, they’re met with a message: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." No official clarification has come from either the Indian government or Meta, but the timing is significant. The move comes days after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region killed 26 people, most of them tourists. It was one of the deadliest attacks since the 2008 Mumbai carnage.

Instagram Restricts Top Pakistani Artists in India Over TensionsAtif Aslam’s Instagram, known for Bollywood hits like ‘Tere Sang Yaara,’ now inaccessible to Indian fansInstagram Screengrab


Fawad isn’t the only one affected. Singers Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, both hugely popular in India for their Bollywood chartbusters, have also had their accounts blocked. These restrictions extend to other familiar faces like Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Hania Aamir, Imran Abbas, and Sajal Aly, who had earlier crossed over into Bollywood projects. Their accounts too are no longer viewable in India.

Interestingly, a few Pakistani accounts remain untouched for now. Fans can still access the profiles of actors like Mawra Hocane, Adnan Siddiqui, Meesha Shafi, and singers like Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch and Shafqat Amanat Ali.

Instagram Restricts Top Pakistani Artists in India Over TensionsFawad Khan’s Instagram displays ‘Account not available in India’ Instagram Screengrab


This digital blackout follows an earlier government crackdown on Pakistani content. A few days ago, India banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including major networks like Dawn News and Geo News, accusing them of circulating false narratives and divisive content. Even former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s channel was removed from Indian YouTube listings.

The ripple effect has hit the entertainment world. Fawad Khan’s comeback film Abir Gulaal, co-starring Vaani Kapoor, was due to release in May. But sources say the release won’t happen in India amid rising calls to block the film entirely. Ironically, the film has reportedly been banned in Pakistan as well.

Instagram Restricts Top Pakistani Artists in India Over TensionsRahat Fateh Ali Khan’s iconic Sufi music vanishes from Indian Instagram feeds post-restrictionInstagram Screengrab


As political tensions grow, cultural connections continue to suffer, especially for fans on both sides who once bonded over shared music and cinema.

ali zafaratif aslamhania aamirindiapakistan relationshipinstagrampahalgampakistani celebritiesrahat fateh ali khansajal alysocial mediaterror attackfawad khan

Related News

Doctors' strike
UK

England's resident doctors announce five-day strike over pay dispute

Kajol
Entertainment

Kajol defends Ibrahim Ali Khan amid trolling, says star kids today face a do or die reality

Cardi B wears blooming 3D flowers
Entertainment

Cardi B stuns in a 3D floral Rahul Mishra gown at Paris Couture Week

More For You

Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa

Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa expecting first child, share news with sweet Instagram post

Instagram/patralekhaa

Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa announce pregnancy in joint Instagram post

Highlights:

  • Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa announced their pregnancy via a joint Instagram post on Wednesday.
  • The image showed a floral cradle with “Baby on the way” written on it, captioned simply: “Elated ❤️.”
  • Industry friends including Farah Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, and Esha Gupta congratulated them.
  • The couple, who were together for 11 years before marrying in 2021, recently launched their production house, KAMPA Film.

Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa shared that they are expecting their first child together in a joint Instagram post on Wednesday. The announcement came with a floral-themed image featuring a cradle illustration that read, “Baby on the way,” along with their names. The couple summed up their feelings in one word: “Elated.”

 Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa smiling during a public appearance earlier this year Instagram/patralekhaa/rajkummar_rao 

Keep ReadingShow less
Sara Arjun

Dhurandhar teaser reveals glimpses of Sara and Ranveer’s on-screen pairing

Instagram Screengrab/saraarjun.fan.club

Sara Arjun who earned £950,000 as a child, stars opposite 40-year-old Ranveer Singh in 'Dhurandhar'

Highlights:

  • Sara Arjun, once India’s highest-paid child actor, stars opposite Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar.
  • Started her career at 18 months old and rose to fame with Deiva Thirumagal.
  • The teaser dropped on 6 July, coinciding with Ranveer’s 40th birthday.
  • The film has sparked online criticism over the 20-year age gap between the leads.

Once a toddler in detergent ads and later the daughter of Vikram in Deiva Thirumagal, Sara Arjun is now stepping into the spotlight as the female lead in Dhurandhar, Aditya Dhar’s espionage drama starring Ranveer Singh. The teaser, released on Singh’s 40th birthday, has made waves not just for its slick visuals but also for the casting of Sara opposite the veteran star.

 Sara Arjun Former child star Sara Arjun cast as Ranveer Singh’s romantic lead in 'Dhurandhar' at age 20 Facebook/Sara Arjun

Keep ReadingShow less
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp attends the "Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness" Screening at the Red Sea International Film Festival

Getty Images

Johnny Depp says Warner Bros. pushed him to ''retire'' from 'Fantastic Beasts' after libel case

Highlights:

  • Johnny Depp says Warner Bros. asked him to resign from Fantastic Beasts in 2020, but he felt they wanted him to retire.
  • The actor had just lost a libel case against The Sun, which referred to him as a “wife-beater.”
  • Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022).
  • He has now returned to directing after 20 years with his new film Modì, releasing on 11 July in the UK.

Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has opened up about being removed from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, saying he felt the studio’s request for his resignation was effectively a push into retirement. Depp made the comments in a recent interview while promoting his new directorial project Modì: Three Days on the Wing of Madness.

In 2020, shortly after losing a high-profile libel case against The Sun over claims of domestic abuse during his marriage to Amber Heard, Depp was asked to step down from the Harry Potter spin-off series. Speaking about the moment, Depp said, “It literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie. They said, ‘We’d like you to resign.’ But what was really in my head was, they wanted me to retire.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Ranbir Kapoor Ramayana

Ranbir Kapoor will play Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana

Youtube Screengrab/Sony Music India

Ranbir Kapoor tops 'Ramayana' cast fees with £14 million as Yash and Sai Pallavi secure record pay

Highlights:

 
     
  • Ranbir Kapoor is reportedly earning £14 million (₹150 crore) for playing Lord Rama in both parts of Ramayana.
    •  
  • Yash, cast as Raavan and also producing, is expected to receive £9.3 million (₹100 crore).
    •  
  • Sai Pallavi will reportedly take home £1.1 million (₹12 crore) as Sita.
    •  
  • Sunny Deol is said to be charging £3.7 million (₹40 crore) for portraying Hanuman.
    •  
 

The upcoming two-part film Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, is shaping up to be one of the most expensive projects in Indian cinema history. With its Diwali 2026 and 2027 releases already confirmed, all eyes are now on the cast’s sky-high fees.

Though the production house hasn’t officially confirmed individual earnings, multiple media reports, including those from Siasat.com and Republic, have provided a breakdown of what the film's leading stars are reportedly taking home, and the numbers are staggering.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gregg Wallace sacked

Gregg Wallace dropped from MasterChef after over 50 sexual misconduct claims surface

Getty Images

Gregg Wallace sacked from MasterChef after fresh sexual misconduct allegations from over 50 people

Highlights:

  • Gregg Wallace has been dropped from MasterChef following a misconduct probe.
  • BBC was approached by over 50 individuals with new allegations, including sexual misconduct.
  • Wallace says an independent investigation cleared him of “serious” claims but found him guilty of inappropriate language.
  • He has hit back at the BBC, accusing them of betrayal and failing to support his autism diagnosis.

Gregg Wallace has been officially removed from MasterChef after more than 50 new individuals came forward with misconduct allegations spanning his two-decade television career. The move follows an ongoing investigation led by law firm Lewis Silkin, commissioned by the show’s production company, Banijay UK, into Wallace’s behaviour.

While Wallace claims he has been cleared of the “most serious and sensational” accusations, he was reportedly found responsible for inappropriate language and comments dating back as far as 2005. The BBC, which aired MasterChef, is now facing renewed scrutiny over how long-standing concerns about Wallace’s behaviour were handled internally.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025 Garavi Gujarat Publications Ltd & Asian Media Group USA Inc