Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, who made her Bollywood debut in Shahrukh Khan’s Raees, made an appearance at the film’s success meet via video call. The actress couldn’t participate in person owing to the ban imposed on Pakistani artists in India. Elated that the film has been permitted to be screened in her country, Mahira expressed her excitement towards people’s reception for the film and her character.
“I had this big fear that people will root for Shah Rukh’s character and not me. But once the film released, all my fears were put to rest by the response that I received, which has been completely fantastic and I am very grateful,” she was quoted saying.
Last week, the actress spoke about ‘an evil eye‘ that hampered Raees‘ release in her country, blaming it for upsetting her fans across the globe. “I am the first Pakistani actress who got the opportunity to work with Shah Rukh Khan as the main lead. But I feel that my success and fame has come under the evil eye due to which my film has not been able to release in Pakistan,” she had said.
However, she spoke couldn’t hold back her excitement at working with SRK. “It was like a dream come true. I wonder how can someone work with anyone else after working with him. SRK always used to make us laugh even before a serious scene, due to which we simply couldn’t keep a straight face for the camera,” she said.
Mahira has so far stayed away from promotional events for Raees, due to pressure from right-wing, hindutva parties in Maharashtra.
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Shahrukh Khan had even paid a visit to the MNS chief Raj Thackeray to negotiate for a smooth release of the film. The actor clarified that Mahira Khan would not be a part of the film’s promotions. He also assured Thackeray that he would not work with Pakistani talent again.
And so Raees was allowed to release.
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Feature Image: Dawn.com