Pakistani actor Mahira Khan made his Bollywood debut alongside Shahrukh Khan in 2017 Director Rahul Dholakia recently revealed that several leading ladies including Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoorand Anushka Sharmawere considered for the role, but none made it. The role eventually went to Mahira, who happened to be in Mumbai during the casting process.
In a recent interview with casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Rahul explained that they needed an actress to portray a Muslim girl from the 1980s. Their priority was to find someone with strong Hindi speaking skills, ideally with a slight Urdu accent and an innocent demeanor. Considering that Shah Rukh Khan was 50 at the time, they were looking for a 30-year-old heroine. However, there were very few actresses in India who fit this description with the requisite command of Hindi and innocence.
Although they considered stars like Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, the problem was that these actresses were too expensive for a relatively small role. They also explored options such as Sonam Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, but realized that none of them were suitable for the character. Rahul added that it just won’t work for Shah Rukh Khan to be in love with someone like Alia Bhatt.
He continued by mentioning this Gauri KhanHer mother and his own mother had seen Mahira on a Pakistani TV show and praised her, saying she was good. Dear Trehanwho is casting for the project informs him that Mahira is in Mumbai for promotional work. Trehan offered to take her to an audition the next day. After auditioning Mahira at Excel’s office, he stated that he had found his Aasia.
Although not specifically mentioned, Mahira rose to fame with her lead role in Humsafar, one of Pakistan’s most loved drama serials.
