Adeel Hussain, Mahira Khan, and Shehryar Munawar in Asim Raza's Film.

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Mahira is always in a hurry. And she's in a characteristic state of
rush as she walks in for this interview, radiant in a white cotton
kurta, gorgeous in an unaware state of unkempt attraction. It's the look
of a woman who has too much to do, with little time to do anything more
than pull back her hair and leave the house with nothing fancier than a
washed face. But what a face it is! Mahira is a head-turner, evoking
both envy and desire of women and men who either want to be like her. Or
simply want to be with her. And she's blissfully unaffected by both.

A million dollar smile warms up her hazel eyes as she sees me. And
she holds up her hands to show ten fingernails that are painted red and
blue. Spiderman. It's her son's birthday and she spent the morning
entertaining his friends in a superhero themed party. That, she quickly
explains, is the reason for being fifteen minutes late. I can imagine
anyone would happily wait a lot longer for this one.

Bollywood, I get straight to the point. Is there a fire where this smoke's coming from?

"It's not true at all," she replies, settling down with a cup of
coffee and bringing on that slow, reinforcing tone that would make it
impossible to misunderstand what she's saying. "I am not doing a film
with Ranveer Singh. This smoke has no fire at all. I'm not even in talks
with Bollywood, not really. I mean I've gotten calls, some from very
reputed directors, but I'm in talks with no body for a film."

It's been two years since Humsafar catapulted her to the pinnacle of
popularity. But while her co-star Fawad Khan has made a lot of hay under
the proverbial shining sun, she's barely cashed in on that wave of
hysteria. One television play (Shehr-e-Zaat) and one talk show (The
Lighter Side of Life) is what she has to show in her post Humsafar
trajectory. If there were offers from Bollywood then what has stopped
her from taking the next step forward?

"I think that they (Indian filmmakers) have only seen Humsafar in
fact even Humsafar hasn't played in India yet," she offers an
explanation. "They haven't seen enough of my work to present something
solid to me. If I work in India I want it to be for the same caliber of
work that I get in Pakistan. I don't want to change my standards."

Are you afraid of stardom, I ask her a question that frequently crosses the mind of anyone who knows her?

"Maybe," she agrees with a sheepish laugh. "The thing is that right
now this is it. They say these are the stars of Pakistan and if this is
it then I feel that isn't so bad. I've managed to guard myself and give
as much as I want to and hold back as much as I want to. But yes,
Bollywood is scary. It is unchartered territory. You don't know what you
are getting into. That said, Bollywood is scary but not so scary that I
wouldn't try.

"The way I see it," she continues, "is if I'm choosy in my own
country and if I'm picky then I'm going to be as picky in Bollywood. I'm
going to look at a script as minutely as I do in Pakistan. Why should
Bollywood or Hollywood or Turkey be any different? I don't understand
that. I don't work like that. People tell me that it's career suicide.
They say, which actress gets fame and then decides to do one project a
year. Who does this? I do it. The way I see it, if I can ask a close
friend in Pakistan to read his script (referring to Asim Raza's film)
then I would also ask the same of a big director in India. "

Whether in India or Pakistan, the only path Mahira wanted to follow
was the one that lead her to the silver screen, which is why she signed
up for Bin Roye immediately after Humsafar and Shehr-e-Zaat. Bin Roye,
Hum TV's first feature film in the making, was supposed to cast Mahira
opposite Fawad Khan but unfortunate delays in filming lost Fawad to
Bollywood. Humayun Saeed stepped in as her hero.

"Humayun Saeed is possibly one of the best co-stars to have in the
industry," Mahira quickly clarifies when I ask her why she ranked him as
the last person she'd choose as co-star (on the Tonite with HSY show).
He has one of the biggest hearts in the industry. He's nice to everyone,
from spot boy to co-actor. He's the only guy who has genuine friends in
the industry. He's selfless."

There are rumours of Humayun Saeed's wife being the scariest
part of working opposite him. Was Mahira intimidated, I ask her
cautiously?

"Not one bit," Mahira replies with a smile. "I understand that this
is a tricky place to be in, whether it's my significant other or someone
else's; they will feel insecure. I get that. But there are levels of
insecurity. And this is my job. I can't be worried about what someone's
wife thinks. I have to work and I will make sure that I don't do
anything that makes her or anyone feel insecure."

You've said no to so many films, why did you agree to Bin Roye?

"Bin Roye was offered to me right after Humsafar and Fawad was meant
to do it. But he went on to do Khoobsurat. I had a choice and I decided
that right now this is the best thing I could do. I liked the story. It
had this one scene that kept me awake at night and drove me insane and I
couldn't not say yes."

Slated for a January 9 release, there's very little information about
the Hum TV film except for the fact that it features Humayun Saeed,
Armeena Rana Khan, Zeba Bakhtiar and Javed Sheikh alongside Mahira on
the cast. Also that it's been filiming for two years now and has even
seen a change of guard in the director's seat.

Does Bin Roye run the risk of looking more like a tele-drama than a feature film?

"It's a full blown feature film," Mahira replies, without revealing
any details. "I love commercial cinema. I like watching a Ram Leela. I
like my dance and song. And I have danced in Bin Roye," she gives her
fans something to watch out for. "I've given Bin Roye everything and
I'm hoping that people enjoy something different coming from Pakistani
cinema."

But the film is also being turned into a drama serial?

"Yes," Mahira sighs. "Drama makes channels more money. Every channel
wants to sign a deal for two dramas and a film. Bin Roye was supposed to
be a drama and then was turned into a film. First the film will release
and then consequently the drama will release. It's a business idea that
they want to try out, though personally as an actor it's not something I
enjoy. I've given this film my blood, sweat and tears. We often joke
that this film is a Titanic, a Mughal e Azam; we've been making it
forever." And let's hope it's just as successful.

Speaking of films in her kitty, Mahira talks about her next project:
Asim Raza's film, which she has also signed on. Starring Sheheryar
Munnawar and Adeel Hussain, it's a contemporary, coming of age story of
two friends. Currently untitled, they've only just started readings and
rehearsals but it is for this film that Mahira had to refuse the movie
Shaan is writing and producing in collaboration with Shiny Toy Guns.

"I could have done both but I wasn't comfortable with that," she
explains the reason for her choice. "There are certain things that I
will not compromise upon. If it's my friend's shaadi then my dates are
gone to my friend's shaadi. If I've committed to one project, that too
of a friend's, then I won't pull out of it, no matter what comes along.
It's just who I am. It's about my priorities."

Female actors have made very little impact in Pakistani cinema. Do you think you'll make a difference?

"That's the idea," Mahira says. "I'm very aware of the choices I make. I think about my roles and how I perform them."

Is there any one female actor in the world that she idealizes?

"I respect so many actresses but I don't idealize anyone," she
replies. "The thing is to leave your own legacy. I want to offer
something that is unique. I want to offer something that can't be found
anywhere else."

Speaking of roles in drama, cinema and her professional life the
conversation steers into more personal territory. The one dominant role
in her life is mother to the young and adorable Azlan. And rumours of
her estrangement to her husband are often the topic of much speculation.

How has stardom affected your personal life, I ask carefully,
knowing it's an uncomfortable space. But there's too much speculation
to ignore.

"I'll tell you what stardom did," Mahira reminisces, with a faraway
look clouding her eyes. "Anything that was bad became worse, the cracks
became deeper. Being in people's eyes takes a toll. Even people close to
you, those who love you, start seeing you in a different light, in the
eyes of the audience. I might be fooling myself that stardom doesn't
play a part. I haven't figured it all out yet. But yes, as my
professional life was soaring, my personal was crashing.

"I actually don't want to talk about it," she continues after a
pause. "I think I'm the most critisized and the most loved actress in
the country. I can't figure that out. But I want to leave Ali, Azlan, my
mother and my father out of this. I don't want to drag them in it. What
I can say that even today, I enjoy a great relationship with Ali. It's
pretty cool that way. We haven't called it a day yet and I'm happy that
our parents are on the same page. I have more clarity now and I think
everything will open up. But I don't want to talk about something that
is so personal. There won't be a single person who will understand
because they're not you. So why bother? I'm already putting my soul out
there in my characters. Putting my personal life out there is something I
can't do."

Back to her comfort zone, Mahira lights up as she talks about Sadqay
Tumhare, her upcoming serial opposite Adnan Malik, which is ready to
air. Written by Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, the story casts her in the
avatar of a village beauty, a role that her fans will undoubtedly love
her in.

"I read the script and flipped over it and decided to do it," she
enthuses. "I have not enjoyed saying my dialogues as much as I have in
ST. My leading man is Adnan Malik. The cast is fabulous and it was just
like fresh air. It's so interesting for me to play that girl. I hope
people enjoy the dialogue and the script because it's not your usual
saga."

Mahira is not your usual star. She shies from exposure, she is unsure
of her sex appeal. She likes to keep things simple and she prefers to
keep complications out of the public eye. A loyal friend, doting mother
and passionate performer, it's no wonder that she's everyone's
favourite.

Mahira's portraits byNadir Firoz Khan on location, during thefilming of Bin Roye

http://tns.thenews.com.pk/unusual-shining-star/#.VDDuBFfNng0