This was right after the release of Rahul Dholakia’s Raees, the film in which Mahira Khan co-starred with Shah Rukh Khan in 2017 .
I had spoken to Mahira on the phone about her inability to be in India for the release of Raees.
She said, “You know, I was telling a friend that no other actor here in Pakistan has got an opportunity like this. And it fell in my lap, due to whatever hard work that I may have done earlier. I didn’t have to look for it. I feel blessed. But at the same time, I feel like that marathon runner who, during the last lap just before the finishing line, is made to drop out of the race. There was this feeling when it happened, ‘Oh Man, not right now. Now, just before the release!’ I so want to sit with the audience and watch the film. But that doesn’t seem possible so far. But after the release, I feel a certain sense of closure because of the love I’ve been receiving from the people. The stuff that I read online is heartwarming. So maybe, okay, this circumstance that happened is something I couldn’t control. I am going to let go of it. I tell myself this every day. I try to look at the brighter side. I put all the good wishes in one box and take one out every morning. I really don’t know what I am missing out on because I haven’t really experienced what it feels like to be there. But I do know that we were all like one big family during the making Raees. And I just felt happy connecting with them long-distance. I know we’ll celebrate whenever I am able to visit again.”
The saddest part was when some of Mahira’s random utterances were taken out of context and used against her. “I felt it was unnecessary. The fact is, I’ve always been a big Bollywood fan, from when I was very young. I remember I’d watch new Bollywood films every Thursday night on a video cassette. The entire week, I’d wait for that Thursday night treat. I’ve a deep admiration for Guru Dutt. I discovered him when I was 16. I saw Pyaasa and it changed my life. I can’t explain what it meant to me. It opened a whole new kind of Indian cinema to me. Prior to that I was into the song-and-dance films, the Anil Kapoor films and so on. After watching Guru Dutt’s films I became a huge fan of Sahir Ludhianvi’s poetry and the songs of Guru Dutt’s films. After I read all the good reviews of Raees, I first cried over them. Then, I dwelled over what was written, as I always do. I asked myself, was I really good? The big expectations have always worked towards making me work harder.”
Mahira was hopeful Raees would release in Pakistan. “You know I am constantly on tenterhooks waiting for it to happen. Whenever it happens, it would make me very happy.”
