As the Middle East reels from escalating military conflict, Iranian-origin actor Mandana Karimi has made a startling personal revelation: she plans to leave India and return to Iran as soon as the current regime changes, and she feels deeply “betrayed” by the country that gave her fame.
In an emotional interview with Bollywood Hungama, the 37-year-old actor, best known for her participation in the reality show Bigg Boss 9, opened up about losing friends, feeling voiceless, and her vision for a free Iran.
‘The Moment the Regime Is Gone, I Will Go’
Karimi has been vocal about her opposition to the Iranian government, previously describing it as “a cancerous cell in the Middle East.” Now, she is looking ahead to a future she hopes to be part of.
“What I see for Iran is a free Iran where women can do whatever they want, wear whatever they want, whatever university they want to go to and study,” she said. “I see Iran, which has a great relationship with the Middle East, and that we are not a threat to people. But we are a nation that builds the Middle East. The moment they announce that this regime is gone, I will go.”
‘India Has Betrayed Me’
The actor’s decision to leave India is not a practical one, but an emotional and ideological one. Despite acknowledging everything the country gave her, she feels it is time to part ways.
“Anyway, my bags are packed, and I am leaving India as well. That is the plan because I feel I am breaking up with India,” she confessed. “It is very difficult for me because I came to India when I was really young. India has given me everything: my modelling career, my acting career, the love that I got, and the friends that I have. But I feel I don’t have a voice in India.”
She elaborated on this feeling of alienation, directly linking it to her political activism. “I feel India has betrayed me in a way. India has given me what it was supposed to give, and now it’s time to move on, and hopefully I am going to move to Iran.”
Losing Friends Over Protesting the Regime
Karimi revealed that her outspoken stance against the Iranian government came at a personal cost within her social circle in Mumbai. While the city never made her feel “lonely,” her activism led to ruptures.
“I lost many friends in Mumbai after I spoke against the Iranian regime,” she said, without naming specific individuals. The statement underscores the deep personal consequences of taking a political stand far from home.
A Defining Struggle for Iranians
The actor emphasized that for many Iranians, both inside and outside the country, the struggle for change is a persistent, defining aspect of life. Her words come at a time of heightened tensions, following the United States and Israel’s attacks on Iran on February 28, and subsequent retaliatory actions by Tehran and its proxies.
Context: Stranded Celebrities
Mandana’s statement emerges against a backdrop of travel chaos in the region. Several Indian celebrities, including actors Ajith Kumar, Vishnu Manchu, and Sonal Chauhan, are currently stranded in the UAE due to the widespread flight cancellations and disruptions caused by the conflict.
For Mandana Karimi, however, the journey is not just about being stranded—it is about choosing a destination, and an ideological future, that she believes in.
