Mahira Khan was almost a part of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi—here's what went wrong

Recently, Mahira Khan spoke about her first encounter with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the opportunity to star in Heeramandi in an interview with BBC Asian Network.

Wedding that led to the meeting

Mahira Khan's acquaintance had suggested her name, and during their conversation, she expressed her deep admiration for Bhansali and his work. Here they were 15 years ago. She decided to attend her childhood buddy's wedding to an Indian man. They were in Bombay when Bhansali sought out a female actor from Pakistan. The credit for this idea goes to Moin Beg. Designer Rizwan Beg and he were sitting there and lamenting the fact that they still hadn't found a girl. While she was in Pakistan, her Mumbai-based friend was shopping for the bridal dress that Rizwan was making for her. Moin was present, claiming to be in search of a Pakistani female actor. "Have you seen Mahira?" her friend Sharmeen enquired; because she is a video jockey, she secretly brought the actor to meet them.

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Mahira recalled that she was wearing this plain, old white salwar kameez when they took her to the studio. A man stared at her for 30 minutes before finally asking, "Are you Madhubala?" To which she nodded yes. "Would you be interested in starring in an Indian film?" he asked after she confirmed her answer. "Yes, I'll do it, but with Shah Rukh Khan," Mahira replied. She said one has to examine her frame of mind. He proceeded to say that he hopes the actor gets to meet Bhansali when she visits India.

Missed opportunities and a late invitation

Mahira continued, stating that she couldn't see the filmmaker when she arrived in Mumbai, but Moin had reached out to her the day before her flight to Pakistan, informing her that Bhansali had expressed a desire to meet. The actor elaborated by saying that the filmmaker specifically requested that she do a photoshoot without makeup.

Recalling her encounter with Bhansali, Mahira went on to commend the filmmaker, exclaiming, "What a man he is!" really original and brilliant. "Can you wipe your lipstick off?" he asked. This is not lipstick she is wearing, she declared. After that, Bhansali advised her to "wipe it off," which she did. "Wow," he exclaimed. He had told her about Heeramandi during that period. It didn't pan out, but he was thrilled that she could be involved. At the time, it was a film in production, and shortly after that, there were attacks. Consequently, political issues prevented her from working on the film.

Anxiety over marital status disclosure

Mahira proceeded to explain that the underlying issue was her decision not to disclose her marital status to him. The actor had a restless night due to her high level of anxiety. She wanted to tell Bhansali she was married, so she told Moin she wanted the filmmaker's number. She declared that this was her ideal situation. The actor expressed that she couldn't embark on her lifelong dream of becoming an actor through deceit. Mahira contacted Bhansali and informed him of this. During the audition, Mahira performed a scene from Mughal-e-Azam. Following that, Mahira traveled to the filming location for Raees, where she had the opportunity to meet Bhansali.

Netflix debuted Heeramandi this year, and in the background of the show is the Indian independence movement. During the British Raj, the show follows the courtesans of Lahore's notorious red-light district, Heeramandi, as they struggle with the local authorities. Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Richa Chadha, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman are among the actors included. Preparations are underway for a second season.

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