With the Iran-Israel War underway, every little detail, news story and think piece about the two countries and their conflicted history are being lapped up by social media users. The interest only piqued after Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, was officially named the new Supreme Leader of Iran after his father’s assassination in the US-Israel coordinated strikes two weeks ago.
As Mojtaba Khamenei’s face took over TV screens and social media feeds, the Indian Internet spotted something intriguing.
Many on social media observed that actor Ranvir Shorey would resemble a lot like Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei if he were dressed like him and sported a beard. Then came those who shared another meme in which the actor appeared clean shaven, only to end up looking like Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
An X user put the two memes together: “Someone told Ranvir Shorey that he looks like Iran’s leader Mojtaba Khamenei… Dude shaved immediately and ended up looking like Iran’s exiled leader Reza Pahlavi.”
The Meme That’s Winning The Internet.
Such was the virality of the meme on social media that it reached Ranvir Shorey himself.
This is all useless if I don’t get cast in a good Iranian film. 🙄 https://t.co/IRhQ3Mvbu7
— Ranvir Shorey (@RanvirShorey) March 11, 2026
The actor, who will next be seen in Khosla Ka Ghosla 2, had a legit response to the meme. In an X post, he wrote, “This is all useless if I don’t get cast in a good Iranian film.”
A section of X users commented on his post.
“Apple’s Tehran series, @AppleTV, please cast him,” wrote one, asking the streaming platform to hire him for a part in its critically-acclaimed show.
Another said, “A film on the current Iran war with you doing the dual role of Ali Khamenei and Shah Reza Pahalvi.”
One user said he would try his luck if there is a third part to Dhurandhar. “Iranian?? Why not Dhurandhar 3.0.”
A user suggested he should reach out to Netflix for the Israeli series Fauda featuring a plotline “where israel iran operation unfold”.
“Or an Indian film with a plot set up in Iran,” said another.
Social media has a lot of suggestions for Ranvir Shorey. But the actor is sure that all the comparisons between his looks and those of Mojtaba Khamenei and Reza Pahlavi are useless if he doesn’t get to work in an Iranian film. Is best director Oscar nominee Jafar Panahi listening?
Also Read | What Iranian Actor Elnaaz Norouzi Told NDTV Days Before Mojtaba Khamenei Was Named Iran’s New Supreme Leader
