She just wants to act

Mahira Khan talks Love Guru, age backlash, and future roles

It is as formulaic as any rom-com could be: girl meets boy, girl's parents hate boy, girl's father hires a man to break them up, girl falls in love with hired muscle. Slap on an easy-to-remember title (Love Guru), throw in two bankable stars proven to sell box office tickets – such as, say Mahira Khan and Humayun Saeed – and you have on your hands a blockbuster before it even hits the theatres.

"I thanked God that the film was a success, "gushes Mahira in an interview with Independent Urdu. "This was something we all needed."

Back with co-star Humayun ten years after their hit film Bin Roye, Mahira's latest feel-good film tells you all you need to know after a mere flicker through its trailer. With Humayun's eponymous love guru (i.e. the aforementioned hired muscle) making the use of airborne hot air balloons and violins under a suspiciously dry London sky to woo his fake lady love, there are no plot twists to be had, and no expectations unmet when you have memorised the rom-com manual. And if the box office figures speak the truth, then Love Guru has achieved its ambition of wooing all lovers of rom-coms.

However, box office hit or not, success is not something Mahira wishes to dwell on for too long. Itching to set her sights further and move onto the next project, she adds, "But then you start to think, 'What's my next project?' And you move forward. I think all actors do this. At the moment, I am reading over two [projects], and I'm trying to decide which one I'll do next!"

Understanding Sophia

When it comes to her role as Love Guru's leading lady Sophia, Mahira is confident she had her character under her skin from the start – and wherever she did not, she says she could always count on director Nadeem Baig to straighten things out.

"Whenever I didn't understand something Sophia was saying or doing, I would ask Nadeem, and he would guide me a lot," she recalls. "But by and large, I knew what Sophia was all about and I had her all figured out."

As a woman in her forties, Mahira has faced backlash inhabiting a conventionally younger character on screen, but any negative comments about how many years she has been around the sun fall off her like water off a duck's back.

"I have never hidden my age – nor did I hide my marriage or my divorce or my child. I have to be true to myself," she mandates. "I don't care about anyone else. And when it comes to people's opinions – I welcome them. They don't bother me."

Illustrating that she does, in fact, put some thought into the roles she takes on, the actor adds, "Whenever I get a project, I will think over it ten times, and there have been times when I've said, 'Listen, this is not age appropriate, I don't want to do it!' I'm particular about that as well. I want myself and the next generation to be comfortable."

Working with Humayun

Age backlash aside, the success of Love Guru has been largely down to its promotion before release, with the trailer for the film having been splashed out in Time Square, Manhattan.

"That was really cool," admits Mahira, before going on to add that what was harder was making sure Humayun did not flee before the promotional work for the day had been done and dusted with. "I was then thinking, 'Oh my God, I hope Humayun doesn't run off, because I have to record a reel with him!"

Mahira's comments appear completely on brand for Humayun himself, who had conceded in an earlier interview on a local talk show – without a moment's hesitation – that he found the promotional work far more laborious than shooting the actual film itself. "Promotion is harder than filming. It looks as though I'm enjoying it, but it's a lot of hard work!" Humayun had said at the time.

Upcoming roles

Despite Humayun's limited enthusiasm for promoting his films, Mahira has no qualms about sharing screen space with him again – and she hopes that this time, there will not be another ten-year gap.

"We were about to do another film that is very close to my heart, actually, and a very intense love story" reveals Mahira. She adds, however, that what she really yearns to do is take on a role loaded with action.

"I don't know when an offer will come," she laments. "I'm in talks with someone about action – let's see! I was in Maula Jatt, but I had no action in that film – and I wish I did."

As for what lies ahead, viewers can look forward to seeing the star opposite that other bankable male, Fawad Khan, for the third time in Neelofar – a film whose praises Mahira cannot sing highly enough (albeit albeit sprinkled with a dose of caution lest she ramps up expectations beyond reach). "People should see it because we've made it with a lot of love," she noted. "Whether or not it succeeds or they find it any good – that is another thing altogether!"

Meanwhile, those with an eye on upcoming Netflix shows will be aware that Mahira is also slated for a part in Pakistan's first series for the platform, Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo. Keeping a pulse on expectations, the yet-to-be-aired show features an ensemble cast including Hania Aamir, Iqra Aziz and Ahad Raza Mir. The release date has been pushed back to October, and Mahira hints at a departure from the characters she usually takes on.

"I've never been in that zone before. I think you all will be amazed," she promises.

Unmoved by Indian bans

Love Guru is not the only thing making waves in entertainment circles; Indian social media bans on Pakistani artists have made waves in the showbiz industry. It is, however, something Mahira says she has "zero reaction" over.

"I still have a lot of love for my fans. Fans are fans, people are people. That has very little to do with politics, although of course, the two do become intertwined," she notes.

Reflecting on trigger-happy governments targeting artists in the first instance, she continues, "It's strange, isn't it? That if there is a war or political problem, the first thing that is attacked is on artists. Why is that so? Because artists are the people that connect people – so that is the first thing that gets banned, so there is no chance of any love between anyone. We are, as they say, the soft power. We are very important."

Mahira, however, remains philosophical about any imminent bans, noting she has far more avenues in which to practice her craft than just films. "If tomorrow my films are banned, then I will go into dramas or theatre."

As a final reminder, this A-lister has just one thing to say: "I am an actor. I just want to act."