Several Pakistani actors have been quietly removed from album artwork on major Indian music platforms such as Spotify and YouTube Music, amid growing political tensions between the two countries.
Notable among the changes is the removal of Mawra Hocane from the Sanam Teri Kasam (2016) album art, which now only displays Indian actor Harshvardhan Rane. The shift comes after Rane publicly stated he would not act in the sequel if Hocane returned. Similarly, Mahira Khan has been cropped out of the Zaalima song cover from Raees (2017), leaving only Shah Rukh Khan.
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Producers of the affected films claim they were not consulted. “They didn’t ask me. It’s their decision. Whatever our government says, everyone has to follow,” said Sanam Teri Kasam producer Deepak Mukut.
These visual edits echo earlier content removals that followed the Pulwama and Pahalgam attacks, although no official directive currently mandates changes to legacy artwork. The trend appears to reflect increasing pressure from industry groups like FWICE and political outfits like the MNS, which have long pushed for a ban on Pakistani talent in Indian media.
While the audio tracks remain accessible, the visual erasure of Pakistani artists like Fawad Khan and Mawra Hocane points to a deepening cultural divide, raising concerns about the politicization of cross-border artistic collaborations.
