Many offers came from India, but I was scared: Mahira Khan addresses ban on Pakistani artists

Mahira Khan is the Pakistani film and television industry’s golden child, and her talent is one not confined within borders. The Humsafar star made waves in India with her stellar performance in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees. Well-received and widely-loved, her act cemented her position as an actor of international prestige.

However, political tensions between India and Pakistan have no longer allowed local celebrities to perform across the border. In a recent interview with the Film Companion’s Anupama Chopra, Mahira spoke about this unfortunate turn of events and her experience of working in India and collaborating with neighbouring artists.

She said, "I guess, having experienced it firsthand, it’s just sad. When I think about it… I mean, we have all moved on. That’s what we do, if we don’t have this, we do something else. That’s what happens. But I feel like a great opportunity for the entire subcontinent to come together and collaborate was lost. I think it might happen again. Who knows?"

With reference to offers that were made to her at the time, Mahira added, "A lot of series were offered to me and at that time. I don’t know if anybody will understand when I say this, but I was scared. I was genuinely just scared. It wasn’t about what people say, I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go there’. And there was some amazing content, and I didn’t want to miss out on it."

On further opportunities to collaborate with Indian artists, Mahira noted, “I was scared and I have no shame in admitting it. Now I am a bit more like, ‘No, come on yaar, you can’t let something that happened, which was political, affect your choices.’ So, I don’t think I will do that anymore and I hope that we collaborate, even if it's on digital or in any way."

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.