September 04, 2026 04:43 am (IST)

Make this your homepage

Bollywood

Supreme Court slams Bar Council of India over NALSAR row: ‘No power to take action against law students’ | ‘Technical error, not U-turn’: Kerala CM Satheesan denies deleting video slamming cleric’s women remarks after Islamic Scholars’ meet | Bombay HC orders CBI probe into Sushant Singh Rajput's ex-manager Disha Salian's death case | Vijay for PM in 2029? TVK says Rahul Gandhi will ‘hold his hand’ to make him Prime Minister | CJP calls off Sept 5 Delhi march after Supreme Court quashes FIRs against protesters | ‘Dismantle entire terror ecosystem’: Modi’s strong message at SCO Summit in Shehbaz’s presence | Modi’s big appeal after 7.8% GDP growth: ‘Don’t travel abroad, avoid destination weddings’ | Modi-Pezeshkian talks: Iran seeks India’s 'extensive contacts' to end West Asia war | Indus Waters Treaty row: India rejects Hague court order, says ‘no jurisdiction’ over its sovereign decisions | India beats the odds with 7.8% GDP growth; PM Modi has a message for critics

Image Credit: instagram.com/avantika

Racist trolls target Indian-American actor Avantika after rumours over casting as 'Rapunzel' in Tangled remake

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | Apr 11, 2024, at 10:33 pm

Indian-American actor Avantika Vandanapu has come under the attack of online racist trolls after rumours surfaced that she might be cast as Rapunzel in a live-action remake of Disney's 'Tangled'.

Vandanapu, known for her role in 'Mean Girls', was being considered for the role alongside actor Milo Manheim and they were undergoing screen tests, indicated a social media post which was subsequently deleted.

The news sparked backlash from some fans, who took to Avantika's Instagram to express their unhappiness over the reported selection.

They questioned the decision to cast an Indian-American actor for the role of Rapunzel, pointing out that the character is portrayed as a fair-skinned, blonde woman in the original 'Tangled'.

Despite no official confirmation from Disney about a live-action 'Rapunzel' movie, fan speculation on social media spiralled, resulting in hateful comments targeting Vandanapu.

yall cannot be serious… pic.twitter.com/Q5ZtieZdGY
— ꪆৎ eva (@CRUSHSCAIN) April 10, 2024

The 19-year-old actor, known for her role in 'Mean Girls', has been swamped with messages criticizing her ethnicity and deeming her unfitting for the role solely based on her heritage.

avantika isn’t the right cast for rapunzel pic.twitter.com/vCq7UjD1b6
— britt ⸆⸉ 🪷 KY DAY (@lizzieqlsen) April 7, 2024

However, she is not the first actor to face such reactions from people who resist casting actors of colour in certain roles.

Halle Bailey, who portrayed Ariel in the live-action adaptation of 'The Little Mermaid', also encountered similar harassment and criticism.

Despite these criticisms, Disney has continued to break stereotypes by featuring actors of colour in its live-action remakes.

#AvantikaVandanapu #Rapunzel #Disney #Tangled #Racism #Trolling

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.