Mahira Khan
Failure is knowledge, and knowledge is success.Collection: Knowledge
Now I've come to a place where I believe that anger doesn't really make me a better actor.Collection: Anger
The price of wisdom is innocence. So, I have definitely become wiser but sadly a little less innocent.Collection: Wisdom
No matter how tough my life was, I was always looking up at the sky and wishing for good things.
'Humsafar' is addictive; it's a good nasha to have. I remember, when the show was on here in Pakistan, my friends would keep asking me what's going to happen next. And those who didn't see it when it was aired the first time watched all episodes back-to-back because they found it very gripping.
It's very hard for an artist to negotiate their fees. My job is to act; my manager's job should be to handle the business side of it.
When we show our flaws, we show the world that we don't look pretty all the time.
I am an anomaly in my country. I hope, in the coming years, there will be more women like me.
I romanticise every moment of my life, and that is why I have fallen in love with life.
My understanding is the day I start looking at myself as a star is the day I will die as an actor.
Through life's ups and downs, and the few mistakes we make and all the successes that we get, let nobody - nobody's opinion - define who you are. And if anybody defines who you are, let it be yourself.
I became an actor only as a result of Madhuri Dixit. I was watching 'Ram Lakhan,' and her song 'Bada dukh dina' started playing. The minute I saw it, I told my mother, 'I wish to accomplish it. I desire to be on TV.'
Everyone goes through things; everyone has a story. That's why strangers are so interesting. I don't find a single human being boring, man.
When you put so much effort and hard work in a project, you wish to see the results.
If people can come out of 'Bin Roye' feeling even just a little bit of what this character felt, and touched your heart, that's enough for me.
The success of 'Humsafar' comes with an added responsibility that whatever I do next has to be as good if not better, and I also don't want to miss out on my son's growing up years.
I am human. I make mistakes.
My first priority is my child.
After watching Guru Dutt's films, I became a huge fan of Sahir Ludhianvi's poetry and the songs of Guru Dutt's films.
Good films with great content is what I dream about.
I was shooting for 'Bin Roy' and 'Ho Mann Jahaan' simultaneously.
I don't want to be close to politics.
It isn't easy to break into Bollywood. But that's not my goal.
When 'Humsafar' did well, every single person associated with it shined. Its DoP [Director of Photography], Shehzad Kashmiri, went on to become a huge director. So, a good and successful project just blesses everybody.
I just want to do the best work wherever I go. It could be here in Pakistan or India or anywhere else.
I don't even have time to buy clothes.
I've been travelling, returning home for promotional appearances, and juggling it all with being the mother of a five-year-old.
I honestly didn't know how well Bin Roye would fare with audiences. I couldn't be indifferent while watching it. I kept seeing tiny nuances that I could have changed with my role.
After 'Raees,' I used to wonder how I'd feel working on another film and to do this and still enjoy it - I know now I like acting; I enjoy it.
I've always been sensitive and over-emotional.
I actually never wanted to be a VJ. Never. It just so happened that I became a VJ, and I was actually kind of like, 'I don't want to be a VJ. I want to be in the movies.' So yeah, I always wanted to be an actor.
I work with the same dedication and zeal in all my projects, but 'Raees' is very special.
People have asked me about what it's like to work in Pakistan and abroad. It's such a healthy cultural exchange.
I was a dreamer, and I still am one.
Now, I realise that love is peace. Love is when you are with somebody, and it's okay, and you don't have to talk. Their presence is important.
Shah Rukh Khan is magic, really, honestly. He spoilt me for life. There's nothing you can't talk to him about, and we've had amazing conversations.
I'm the poster child for cyber bullying. It's hurtful.
Your life could be falling apart, but for your audience, you have to put up a show.
I've suffered from anxiety and a lot of other things.
If it were up to me, I would wear a peshwas and a gharara everywhere.
I wish I had gone to Cannes with a film, but I had gone there for L'Oreal Pakistan. I cannot tell you the people that I was around, from Helen Mirren to Jane Fonda. It was a proud moment on the red carpet when they announced my name and said 'Mahira Khan from Pakistan.'
We cannot base our judgment on binaries such as a person's gender.
Once I did a film like 'Verna,' which was emotionally draining, I knew I needed to do something lighter and entertaining.
I do feel it's tougher to make a comic scene work than performing an intense scene, for example.
I have a lot of respect for actors who do comedy. They do it naturally.
I want every single person to like my work.
As a child, I used to steal Indian film magazines.
I'd love to work with Vishal Bhardwaj and Imtiaz Ali.
I have dealt with criticism from my first drama, and I think that is a part of our profession. It brings me down but definitely pushes me to do better.
Life is such a beautiful thing. When you sit for a moment during the day and live that particular moment, everything seems perfect.