Catching Up with Mahira Khan

 

 The verdict is in and in the words of Saqib Malik, “Bin Mahira there is no Bin Roye.”

 

Anyone making an educated guess would have predicted the overwhelming response Mahira Khan was about to receive in the first feature film marking her debut in lead role. Yes, her big screen debut was Bol in 2011 but hers was a small role back then; it was a role that got overshadowed by Khirad in Humsafar and how!

 

It would be fair to say that Mahira Khan is no longer Humsafar’s tragic heroine Khirad. Mahira Khan is no longer television’s darling. Mahira is now a film star!

 

Catching her right before she set out for her international premieres, as she stopped to catch her breath between promotional appearances in Pakistan, we asked Mahira a couple of fun questions that her fans will definitely love hearing about…

 

 

Bin Roye is your film through and through. What was the pressure of carrying the film on your shoulders like?

 

Mahira Khan: The pressure was and still is immense! It was always high but I started feeling it even more as time went by. When my director left, I didn’t know how I’d be able to manage my scenes since they were extremely difficult. I tried to play Saba as honestly as possible. Also, the character itself isn’t an easy one. Saba has shades of grey…she is a complex character whom one can easily dislike. My challenge was that I had to play it in a way that the audience could root for her.

 

This is also the first Pakistani film to officially release in India. How, do you think, if at all, it’ll impact your Bolywood debut in Raees?

 

MK: I’m not sure, really. Raees will still remain my debut Bollywood film so I don’t think it makes much of a difference.

 

Tell me, what do you consider the one best and the one worst thing about the experience of working in Bin Roye?

 

MK: The best was that I got to improve my craft, I got to know myself as an actor better and the worst was that it took too long.

 

On a lighter note, you’ve made some interesting fashion choices for the promotional rounds of the film: Elan, Feeha Jamshed, Muse, Mahgul…how do you select what you want to wear?

 

MK: I see what these designers have made, their collections – most of the time I like certain looks and I just go with them. Sometimes I want a certain look and the designers create it for me.

 

How different is your character in Bin Roye from your character in Ho Mann Jahan?

 

MK: Poles apart! Saba (Bin Roye) is immature, complex, bratty, madly in love and Manizeh (Ho Mann Jahan) is straightforward, practical and cool.