Characters are so intense at times, they stay with you very long: Mahira Khan

KARACHI: The of trailer Mahira Khan’s upcoming film Verna was released on October 17. The team behind the flick held a launch ceremony at Nueplex Cinema where the stars studded the red carpet.

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Along with Verna being the acting debut of singer Haroon Shahid, the film marks the return of director Shoaib Mansoor – the brains behind Khuda Ke Liye and Bol, the earliest triggers of the rebirth of modern Pakistani cinema.



The trailer shows Mahira at her fiercest and the most badass as she fights the injustice done against her, as her life falls apart after she is sexually assaulted. Addressing the audience at the event, the Raees star said she started her acting career with Bol in 2011. “And therefore, Shoaib Mansoor was my first teacher. So, with Verna, I feel like I have come home again.”

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About the serious and interestingly, a timely arrival of Verna, she said, “It’s important to talk about these issues and I hope somewhere it will start a debate and a conversation surrounding this lurking issue.”

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Shahid spoke about his acting debut, saying he had never spent more time in front of a camera before Verna. “Not even these cameras held by the media.”

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He said he was more connected to, and knew of Mansoor from his work with Vital Signs rather than his directorial work. “I connected with him as a musician, because I myself am one,” he said, also praising Mahira as she “made it easy for me since day one.”

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On the other hand, the leading actress shared that she still feels nervous before starting any acting project. “But Haroon wasn’t, apart from his first day where he was still figuring things out. It’s his first acting job and he has done so well. He’s confident and a natural,” she revealed.

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The two stars also spoke about ShoMan as a director and how “invisible” he is. They shared how it takes him so long to work on a project because he’s constantly going over a lot of things. “He spends days, not hours, on a single line dialogue,” confessed Mahira. “So, it’s best not to question him because he has spent a lot of time on everything and knows exactly what he wants.”

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She recalled a time where she angered the director so much – to the point where he responded. “I was constantly bugging him for so long and that made him angry. He said, ‘Mahira, Khuda ke liye chup hoja verna…’”

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Answering a question from the audience members, she said the character stays with an actor, no matter what. “Even if I’m acting, it’s me whose performing the actions. I am the one who’s crying in place of the character and going through all the emotions and situations. There’s all this talk about method acting and everything. I feel there’s a method for every actor. Sometimes, the characters are so intense, they carry over and stay with you for a long time and you have to separate the two.”

Verna is set to release November 17.

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