MUMBAI – India’s leading actor Shahrukh Khan has once praised his Pakistani co-star in recent blockbuster Raees, Mahira Khan, wishing her best of luck for furture.
Mahira Khan became the envy of Pakistani film industry when she was selected to play the female lead opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan in Raees – the first Pakistani actress to be paired with the King Khan and to join Bollywood’s 100 Crore Club.
Shah Rukh Khan recently held an #AskSRK session on Twitter, where he encouraged fans to send in questions and he responded to them.
When asked about his experience with Mahira Khan as co-workers, the King Khan said: “She is terrific in the movie, she is a very talented actor. I wish her all the best for the future”.
She is awesome https://t.co/yuS4Ro4OmR
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) February 2, 2017
Shahrukh, who is busy receiving appreciation from audience for his blockbuster movie, added: “She is an amazing actor, and so beautiful. Even before working on Raees, she was already an established star, it is not a new world that she has come in”.
Was lovely to work with her https://t.co/Ak4C6Ujmiy
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) February 2, 2017
Shah Rukh Khan’s chemistry in Raees with her co-worker Mahira Khan was not only tremendous but was also highly appreciated in India and across the world. The movie is likely to hit Pakistani cinemas soon.
Despite SRK’s praise for the Pakistani artist, reports in media cast shadows on the intention of the Indian actor who, according to Daily Pakistan sources, directly intervened to sideline Mahira Khan from the film’s promotion.
“We have been told that Shah Rukh Khan was the one who completely refused to do any promotional events for Raees with Mahira, saying ‘No way I am going to do an event with her. For me, it is my country first and I don’t want to work with her anymore and involve myself in further controversy,” sources close to Raees promoters confided with Daily Pakistan.
In the past, Shah Rukh has been all praise for Mahira Khan, with Indian and Pakistani newspapers quoting him as saying that she was a very talented actress and that it was a pleasure to work with her. In a 2015 interview with the Indian Express, Shah Rukh called Mahira an “accomplished” actor, adding: “She suited the film a lot. I have seen a little bit part of her television stuff. I have met her and she is marvellous actor.” He even went so far as to quip that “Now I would have to excel and perform like (her).”
But as relations deteriorated between the nuclear-armed neighbors in late 2016, it seems like Shah Rukh has changed his tune completely.
Following the Uri incident, the Indian extremist party MNS which is led by Raj Thackeray threatened filmmakers and distributors of dire consequences if Pakistani actors continued working in Bollywood.
Resultantly, Mahira was not even allowed to participate in the promotional events for the film alongside Shah Rukh Khan, and had to attend some promotional events alone. She expressed her disappointment and said, “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.”
“I also want to promote the film. I also want to be in an interview with Shah Rukh Khan talking about it. Why not? Why is it I get told that that’s asking for too much? It isn’t! It is my right. This was also my film.”
