Would have been great if I went with a film: Mahira Khan on going to Cannes

Mahira Khan’s career is an all-time-high as she graced the prestigious Cannes film festival this year. Talking about the distinct experience of walking down the coveted red carpet, Mahira in an interview with BBC Urdu said that it would have been great if she went to Cannes with a film.

The starlet who has earned immense fame, respect and some highly laudable projects both nationally and internationally at a very young age, had everyone’s eyes set on her after she was invited as the first Pakistani ever to appear at the Cannes.

However, with praise came ire, as the 33-year-old faced criticism for representing Pakistan at Cannes for fashion and not cinema.

Responding to this in her interview, she said, “I wish I had gone to Cannes with a film but I had gone there for L’Oreal Pakistan. I cannot tell you the people that I was around, from Helen Mirren to Jane Fonda. It was a proud moment on the red carpet when they announced my name and said ‘Mahira Khan from Pakistan. I feel like Pakistan is my last name now.”

Reiterating further that an artist should always represent responsibly, Mahira stated, “We are known for our films, our albums and our work. We’re not politicians; we don’t do this for votes. We do it because we just feel the need to do it. We put ourselves out there by speaking about issues, by going out and protesting and I think we deserve... I don’t think respect is the right word... but we should get that sort of nod from the people.”