Mahira Khan to star opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees

Humsafar's leading lady Mahira Khan is slated to make her debut in Bollywood starring opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the much talked about Raees, according to the Times of India. 

Mahira visited Mumbai last month after her television serial Humsafar gained popularity in India. Mega producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar were the quickest to move in, finalising the actress for 'Raees' which is being directed by Rahul Dholakia, who won a national award for his film Parzania.

The film has Shah Rukh Khan playing a don and is likely to have Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing a cop. A source said that SRK had dropped in at the audition to meet Mahira, according to the ToI.

Further, a source close to the development told Mirror that the makers were looking for an "international" face instead of a familiar Bollywood name, which explains how Mahira bagged the coveted role.

"She plays SRK's wife in the film. He's a gangster based in Gujarat while Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the cop who traps him in Mumbai. It's a complex role and both the film's director Rahul Dholakia and producers, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, believe she is perfect for the part."

The casting of the leading lady of this film has been a mystery for a while with earlier reports suggested that Sonam Kapoor and very recently Kirti Sanon had bagged the big role in a Shah Rukh Khan starrer film.