Was Mahira Khan cast in Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees because of Gauri Khan’s mother?

Mahira Khan, a Pakistani actress, made her first appearance in Bollywood opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 2017. Director Rahul Dholakia, speaking on casting director Mukesh Chhabra's YouTube channel, revealed that several prominent Indian actresses were initially considered for the role. These included Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, and Anushka Sharma. However, for various reasons, none of these actors suited the part. As it happened, Mahira was in Mumbai during the casting process and ended up securing the part.  

'The role is too small for them' 

Rahul said during the interview, “We wanted an actor to play an 1980s Muslim girl. So, our first priority was to have an actress with good Hindi speaking skills, and if she had a little bit of an Urdu twang, even better. We also wanted our heroine to have an innocence. And Shah Rukh was 50, so we wanted a heroine who is at least 30-something. Now, there are very few actresses (in India), who are in their 30s with good Hindi and an innocence. There was Deepika, Kareena, and Anushka. We had these three or four heroines who met the criteria. But now, the problem with them was that they are too expensive and the role is too small for them. Then we went through a complete list which included Sonam and Katrina. At the end of the day, we realised this wasn’t working for us. They were not really fitting the role. Shah Rukh Khan cannot romance an Alia Bhatt!” 

How Mahira became a part of Raees 

He went on to add that Gauri Khan’s mother had seen her in some Pakistani television show, and she said that this is a good girl. “Honey Trehan was casting for us. I called him up and asked if he knew Mahira.” 

He said, “She is here in Mumbai for some promotional work.”

He then said, ‘I will bring her tomorrow, you can audition her for the role.’ We then auditioned her at the Excel office. After the audition, I declared, ‘I have found my Aasiya.” 

Also read: Shanaya Kapoor was ‘traumatised’ after her debut film Bedhadak was shelved, mom Maheep Kapoor reveals

Raees promotions 

Mahira’s on-screen chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan in Raees was well-received by viewers. However, due to restrictions on Pakistani artists working in the Indian film industry, Mahira was unable to participate in promotional activities for Raees in India. Since then, she has not appeared in any other Indian productions.