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28 March 2024

Pakistan's Mahira Khan jittery about 'Bin Roye' Dubai release

'Bin Roye' to have world premiere in Dubai tonight. (Supplied)

Published
By Bindu Rai

As the red carpet rolls out for the star-studded premiere of Pakistan’s ‘Bin Roye’ in Dubai tonight, lead star Mahira Khan reveals she’s battling the jitters.

Indeed, a large part of this is undoubtedly due to the fate the inevitable fate of the film, which would be revealed in the next 72-hours.

Quiz the young actor if her battle with the nerves is also due to the inevitable clash with the mammoth Salman Khan at the Eid box office and the response may surprise you.

Speaking to 'Emirates24|7', Mahira reveals that is in fact Shah Rukh Khan that had given her sleepless nights.

“Of course, all the boxes are ticked with the public reception of ‘Bin Roye’ and its ability to stand its ground with movies such as ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ releasing simultaneously,” she states.

“However, we are not even attempting to compete with the likes of Salman Khan here.

“Our film will command a niche audience of its own; that much confidence I have in the script and Momina Duraid’s direction.

“If you ask me honestly, it was not Salman but Shah Rukh that really had me battling the nerves.”

Mahira, who will be making her big-screen (some would say dream) debut in Bollywood next year opposite Shah Rukh in ‘Raees’, confessed between the two superstar Khans it is her co-star that gave her sleepless nights.

“How could I not be nervous? He’s Shah Rukh Khan!” she says.

Coincidentally, ‘Raees' release next year has also been timed with Eid, sparking yet another inevitable box office clash with Salman’s ‘Sultan’.

However, Mahira is confident of ‘Raees’’ box office draw, and it’s not just because of the Shah Rukh name attached.

She says: “I can’t say much about the film except it is a very strong role and an even tighter script.”
 
Battling spooks, you say?

Mahira’s focus now remains on bringing ‘Bin Roye’ to the finish line, which has seen enough upheaval through year-long delays, director changes – there are five credited – and a sinister, spooky presence on the sets.

“I’m too scared to even say the name. There were…,” she trails off. At further prompting, she reveals: “We were shooting in this old mansion in Karachi, which was reopened and set-up for the shoot. But a few days in and strange things started to happen.”

Mahira reveals several people on the set, including herself, heard screams in the house, adding: “One of the unit members even confessed to being slapped with no one in the room.

“We were terrified during that entire sequence.”

While no other sinister calamity befell the film shoot, the crew also wrapped up the location shoot post-haste before heading to San Francisco and Dubai to film portions of ‘Bin Roye’.

Produced by Hum Films, incidentally, the movie was also shot simultaneously as a TV series that will air six months from ‘Bin Roye’s’ release, with the same stars in the lead.

With the Pakistani film industry struggling for a new lease on life, many would take this as an ambitious and risky project.

Quiz Mahira and she states: “This movie is based on the novel ‘Bin Roye Ansoo’ by Farhat Ishtiaq.

“I may sound biased as a big fan of her works, but the book is one that I have read cover to cover five times; it is that powerful.

“When Momina spoke to me about adapting this script into a film and corresponding television series, I couldn’t refuse. We have done a wonderful job with a similar adaptation of Farhat’s ‘Humsafar’, which also starred Fawad Khan.

“And we decided, ‘Bin Roye’ was worth the risk.”

Red carpet premiere at Vox BurJuman

The Pakistan film, which is being released by Vox Distribution in the Gulf, will hold its red carpet premiere at Vox BurJuman on Wednesday, July 15 at 10pm.

Aside from Mahira, the romantic drama also stars Humayun Saeed, Armeena Rana Khan, Zeba Bakhtiar and Javed Sheikh.

A love triangle of sorts between two sisters and the man they love, a tragedy befalls on the family, forcing one sibling to step up and fulfil her obligations with her brother-in-law.