All things Mahira
One of the greatest things about the Mahira Khan we see now is an ethereal quality - an integral fea
By Mahwash Ajaz
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the early 2000s. TV channels were proliferating in Pakistan. There was a music channel, a news channel, then two more music channels and ten more news channels. In all the din and cacophony of hosts and anchors and overflowing content, it was getting more and more difficult for people to make a lasting impression.
There was also a girl named Mahira Khan, who had just started her career as a VJ. Though there was very little of her that intrigued me, it impressed me that she clearly wasn t in it for cheap thrills. She was hard working, people told me, and she was educated and she wasn t fake or insane - two tricks which most people use to get rich and famous real quick.
Mahira’s image was always clean cut and intelligent. So even a nonchalant viewer like me was drawn to something about her when ‘Humsafar’ aired.
Mahira Khan delivering a talk at a university. Photo: Mahwash Ajaz
One of the greatest things about the Mahira Khan you and I see now is an ethereal quality - an integral feature of her aura. Mahira’s flaws and her weaknesses become secondary to the overwhelming honesty and integrity she displays in every role she does, whether it is Khirad from Humsafar, Falak from Shehr e Zaat, Saba from Bin Roye, Shanno from Sadqay Tumharay (my favorite) or Aasiya from Raees. Perhaps it may not work for any other star in the world, this expressive honesty and this homebody-ish charm, but it works beautifully for her. She defies the formula and produces a new one, all unique, all her.
This time she is speaking at a university, giving a talk about failure and motivation. Her picture is displayed outside the hall and within minutes the hall is packed. The audience waits in anticipation and she is not late. As soon as she walks in, the audience whoops. She smiles her broad smile as if she is still a new star and this is the first time someone has cheered for her. But it isn t of course. Mahira’s stardom is like a tale that grows fine with time, like wine. There are more people who appreciate her for her longevity and consistency now - which is no mean feat in an industry that is extremely quick to pin expiration dates on women.
She takes a seat, hugs and kisses people she knows, as the audience watches her, bewitched like they would a fairy princess, except she s real. The university plays a montage in her honour, clips of her songs and scenes. Humsafar. Bin Roye. Raees. The audience is in frenzy. Mahira’s presence is lighting the screens and their hearts.
One of her fans is sitting next to me. I ask him why he loves her so much. He has made a painting of her. "I made it a year ago. And I promised myself I d give it to her when I d meet her. I can t believe I m here." He s tapping his knee nervously. But he s grinning. Beaming. His dream is coming true. He’s meeting Mahira Khan.
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A screenshot of a portrait of Mahira Khan by one of her fans. Photo: Mahwash Ajaz
She begins speaking slowly and deliberately. Her voice is soft most of the times but she emphasises on the right moment, especially when she’s delivering a punch line. She talks earnestly but distantly - because despite her openness and amicable predisposition, there is something inherently mysterious about her.
In this day and age of 24 hour news cycles and Snap stories, Mahira’s curiously inscrutable nature adds more gravitas to her image. She is enigmatic and graceful about her enigmatic presence. She is aware of her impact - but doesn t let this stop from being who she is. She’s also spontaneous, genuinely funny and naturally hilarious. Possessing a childlike charm and a naiveté that is mostly artistic, she views the world like a wonder, despite being a wonder herself.
The audience almost mobs her when the talk finishes, the love and the hyperventilation, both a sight to behold. In some corner, I can see two girls almost in tears because they got to meet and take a selfie with Mahira Khan. She’s like the Justin Bieber for all ages, all genders and all nationalities. From her floppy hair to her slim frame, Mahira is an unshakeable, imitable brand.
We sit in her car with her friend from college and head to her house. She has a flight to catch and she’s heading to a foreign location for an ad. None of this stops her from walking into her house and heading straight to her son’s room. She hugs him and kisses him and sits down next to him with more kisses as he does his math sums. In those moments, Mahira is more real and admirable to me than any other moment that I have seen her in the past couple of hours. Just a while ago, back in the university, she had hugged an audience member during the Q&A because the young woman asking her a question asked her about bitterness and failure. Mahira’s hug was long and full of emotion. The girl welled up. This connection that Mahira has, or creates, with people who surround her, paves way for the star that she has become.
The superstar rose to fame through television dramas, including her hit drama serial Humsafar. Photo: Mahira’s official Facebook page
Mahira’s love for her son, her friendship with her father and her camaraderie with her friends makes her grounded and realistic. She has no airs about her; she barely refers to herself as a star or a brand. She is honest about her work, her industry and her journey. She is able to do all of this, I feel, because she is honest.
We start talking about many things as I wait for the car to come pick me up from her house. Shehr e Zaat. Humsafar. Raees. That is the first thing I notice about her home: a medium sized framed poster of Raees that sits at the end of the rows of awards she’s received. It breaks my heart to see it for some reason. Mahira deserved more madness and fame for doing that film with one of the world s biggest stars - and it should have opened many more doors for her. Instead her art and her craft got sidelined because of politics that she, or her millions of fans, in both India and Pakistan, had absolutely nothing to do with.
We take photos and selfies and Mahira wants to eat Sev Puri. This makes me chuckle happily far more than I would have had she asked for a homegrown avocado on a multigrain freshly baked all vegan toast.
When I walk towards the door I pause, in case she wants to hurry back inside. But she stands outside her gate and continues talking for another couple of minutes, completely forgetting about the flight she has to catch or the Sev Puri she wanted to eat. She is talking about her work and it is wonderful to see a star of her calibre love her work and still feel as passionate about it as anyone who has started their first film.
She is an artist and a glamour icon - a curious combination. But her success proves that both these elements are well balanced. She is able to pose and successfully sell a brand - and she is able to connect to the audience on an intrinsic level. "That’s the thing, isn t it," she says leaning forward, with a characteristic blink of her light brown eyes, "When people look at your character and say, Me. This is me. And she s talking to me ."
She is. And we honestly cannot get enough of it.
