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The inevitable rise and rise of Mahira Khan

By Instep Desk
Wed, 12, 17

Having hit one million followers on Twitter, Khan talks to fans in ‘AskMahira’ session and reveals her ambition for directing a film, the impact her character in Bin Roye had on her personally and a lot more.

Mahira Khan with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

CelebSTATUS

Shoaib Mansoor’s latest release, starring Mahira Khan, Verna, may not have appealed to most critics but most are unanimous about one thing: it is Khan’s strongest effort as an actor. It is also true that while promoting the film, Khan sent a strong message about sexual harassment and how conduct and clothes have nothing to do with it.

“It doesn’t matter how I conduct myself, what I wear, how I speak, where I sit or what I do, that does not allow anybody to harass me,” she said. “I am not going to say that I have some sort of a very good conduct or a certain conduct and that’s the reason why I didn’t get harassed. No, that would be the wrong answer,” she told the BBC.

Trolled by some, adored by others, it is no wonder that just recently, she reached 1.01 million followers on Twitter; the only person to bypass Khan is Atif Aslam, Pakistan’s most popular contemporary solo singer.

The story doesn’t end there though. ‘Zaalima’, a track from Raees, Khan’s Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan, is the most trending music videos of 2017 in Pakistan, having been viewed over 175 million times.

Seen recently at the British Consulate in Karachi where Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was mingling with Pakistani stars in a trip meant to highlight his ‘London Is Open’ campaign, Sadiq Khan shared an image with Mahira Khan on social media while noting, “Pakistan, like London, is home to incredible film talent. It has been a privilege to meet so many inspirational young Pakistanis, like @TheMahiraKhan, on my trip. Great to talk to her today about the power of film to bring people from across the world together.”

All this of course means that Khan is not only one of Pakistan’s biggest stars, who appeals to people across various age-groups, but that she has earned this mantle through dedication, humility and belief.

Mother, feminist and superstar, Khan remains available to her fans, as was gauged through a recent ‘#AskMahira’ session on Twitter - where she engaged with her fans and responded to all kinds of questions as a way of perhaps celebrating hitting the landmark of over 1 million fans.

During the session, Khan revealed that she would love to do something akin to Sadqay Tumharay again and that her son, Azlan inspires her to become a better person every day. She prefers romance to other genres (as compared to pure dramas or a revenge thriller like Verna).

When asked about another popular TV production, Yakeen Ka Safar, Khan confessed that though she hasn’t seen it yet, she likes Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir a lot.“I’m hopeful always, no matter how bad it gets,” Khan told one fan when asked about a trait she likes the most about herself.

She revealed that at present she is reading Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire and went on to admit that if she had to binge watch one of her own dramas, it would either be Humsafar or Sadqay Tumharay.

The questions veered into personal territory as well and Khan responded with as much dignity as she could. While speaking about home decorations, the superstar noted, “Little things from wherever I go. You know what I always get though? Magnets for the fridge for some odd reason.”

And as it turns out Khan also has an ambition to direct. When asked when she is planning to spearhead “a Mahira Khan film”, Khan responded in the following words: “When I’m ready… 2019.”