The hearts and hates of birthday girl Mahira Khan

By Nichola

on December 21, 2017

Mahira Khan’s stint in Bollywood had been cut short by the ban on Pakistani artistes. Yet, she has left quite the impact in various ways, right, Ranbir Kapoor?!

Hearting SRK
Expectedly floored by her hero in her debut, Raees, she said of Shah Rukh Khan, “He is magic really, honestly. He spoilt me for life. He used to tell me to do things this way, do it that way. At one point I asked him, am I not doing it right? He said ‘Look I am only telling you what I know, from my experience. You do it your way but all I want is when you see yourself onscreen you don’t come to me and say, why didn’t you tell me!’ Other than that, he’s so bloody smart. There’s nothing you can’t talk to him about.”

Hearting Azlaan
Her marriage to Ali Askari in 2007 fell apart in 2015. Mahira is a single mother – and singularly besotted by her son, Azlaan. “I do only one film at a time. My first priority is my child. So it's a lot of hard work. But it can be done. It's all about choices. Many times I have to let go of good work. Fortunately, the work I've done has worked for me.”

Hearting Guru Dutt
The stunner has a “deep admiration for Guru Dutt”. She ‘discovered’ him when she was 16. “I saw Pyasa and it changed my life,” she has revealed. “I can't explain what it meant to me. It opened a whole new kind of Indian cinema to me. Prior to that, I was into the song-and-dance films, the Anil Kapoor films and so on. After watching Guru Dutt's films I became a huge fan of Sahir Ludhianvi's poetry and the songs of Guru Dutt's films.”

Hating the scrutiny
Reacting to the controversy created by images of her and Ranbir papped smoking in New York, she declared, “It is my personal life and it is very normal for a boy and girl to hang out.” However, she said she has learned from the incident. “Nowadays, (the) media is not only present at events but everywhere. So, I have learned from it (the incident).

Hating the ban
Reacting to the ban by Pakistan on her film Verna because of its "objectionable" content – rape, she reacted, “Tonight I realize how powerful artists are, not those in power. We are. Why else do we get banned? Why else do our films pose a threat to them? In this game of power - we will always win. Art/love/truth always does!”