When Shah Rukh Khan told Humayun Saeed that Pakistani films should release in India

The widely celebrated Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed recently sat down to have a chat with Bollywood Hungama about the Indian release of his hit television drama Meray Paas Tum Ho (2019). 

The show accumulated millions of views on YouTube over the course of its runtime and is now set to air on the Indian television channel Zindagi. While discussing the cross-border popularity of the show that explored themes of love, marriage, and betrayal, the star shared his anticipation for its official release to a wider Indian audience. 

Furthermore, Saeed also shed light on his experience of playing the late Princess Diana’s love interest Dr Hasnat Khan in the famous Netflix series The Crown—his most recent and first-ever Hollywood project—and his fond memories of meeting and performing alongside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

During the conversation, Saeed recalled the time when Pakistan-India ties were not as strained and laced with political tension as they are now and cultural exchanges between the two neighboring countries were commonplace. The cross-border exchange of entertainment and talent that took place was not just limited to television and films but also included appearances and live performances at concerts and awards show ceremonies. 

One such instance was when the Bin Roye (2015) star and fellow Lollywood actress Reema Khan were invited to lip-sync and dance to selected songs from films Veer-Zaara (2004) and Kal Ho Na Ho (2003) in unison with Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta—the lead actors of the two movies—at the Zee Cine Awards in 2005. 

The Punjab Nahi Jaunga (2017) actor recalled his “excitement” and the “special” moment when he met King Khan prior to the show: “He was very sweet to me. We were in his room and he made me sit with him and discussed Indian and Pakistan films with me. That time there was a Mehreen Jabbar and a Shaan film in the theatres and SRK was talking about them. He said that Pakistani films should be released in India and vice versa.”

The easy and effortless interaction between the two made the Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (2015) actor feel “comfortable” and he quoted Khan as having assured him with the words “main sambhal lunga” when the actor expressed some concern about the performance and his lack of rehearsal time as he has just arrived on set the previous day.