Mahira Khan says actors being scapegoated in India-Pakistan rivalry

The decades-long rivalry between India and Pakistan has been taking a toll on the two countries' entertainment industries more than ever.

The 2016 Uri attack prompted an unofficial ban on screening projects from either side at a time when tensions between the neighbouring states were softening a bit. While many B-town artists and Lollywood stars shy away from speaking on the subject, Pakistan's top actress Mahira Khan is calling a spade a spade.

In a recent interview with Variety magazine, the 38-year-old actress detailed the reasons for the inevitable bans by each industry.

Khan debuted in Bollywood alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Raees. Recalling her time and work experience in India, the Bol actress said, "I had the most amazing time working in India. I am still in touch with so many people and there’s a lot of love there. Unfortunately, we are easy targets, soft targets, whether it’s us here in Pakistan, whether it’s them there in India. Unfortunately, it’s politics, it’s not a personal thing. On both ends, until the time that scapegoats are needed, we will always be that.”

The Humsafar famed actress revealed, “I am still in touch with so many people and there’s a lot of love there. Unfortunately, we are easy targets, soft targets, whether it’s us here in Pakistan, whether it’s them there in India. Because we’re artists, and we’re connected by that thread of art, we actually get each other. So we’re trying to look out for each other, more than anything.”

The Bin Roye star also shared, “Even now, we are so careful with what we write on social media. It’s not that we don’t talk to each other. It’s not that we don’t wish each other on our birthdays. It’s not that we don’t meet each other in different countries. It’s not that – it’s just that we are actually not just protecting ourselves but protecting each other.” 

Khan was recently seen in Bilal Lashari’s The Legend of Maula Jatt alongside Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Faris Shafi and Gohar Rasheed. The film, which became the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time, was scheduled to release in India on 30 December, but rising political tensions eventually ended in an indefinite postponement.

On the work front, Khan will next be seen in Neelofar.  

Mahira Khan wants to recreate this scene with Shah Rukh Khan!