It doesn't matter how I conduct myself or what I wear or how I speak or where I sit or what I do. That does not allow anybody to harass me.
— Mahira Khan
My parents were like these hippies almost: they are free-spirited, but they were also strict - which seems like a weird dynamic - but it worked.
I romanticise every moment of my life, and that is why I have fallen in love with life.
I'd love to work with Vishal Bhardwaj and Imtiaz Ali.
I want every single person to like my work.
Once I did a film like 'Verna,' which was emotionally draining, I knew I needed to do something lighter and entertaining.
If it were up to me, I would wear a peshwas and a gharara everywhere.
I'm the poster child for cyber bullying. It's hurtful.
No matter how tough my life was, I was always looking up at the sky and wishing for good things.
People have asked me about what it's like to work in Pakistan and abroad. It's such a healthy cultural exchange.
I actually never wanted to be a VJ. Never. It just so happened that I became a VJ, and I was actually kind of like, 'I don't want to be a VJ. I want to be in the movies.' So yeah, I always wanted to be an actor.
After 'Raees,' I used to wonder how I'd feel working on another film and to do this and still enjoy it - I know now I like acting; I enjoy it.
I've been travelling, returning home for promotional appearances, and juggling it all with being the mother of a five-year-old.
When 'Humsafar' did well, every single person associated with it shined. Its DoP [Director of Photography], Shehzad Kashmiri, went on to become a huge director. So, a good and successful project just blesses everybody.
I was shooting for 'Bin Roy' and 'Ho Mann Jahaan' simultaneously.
I am an anomaly in my country. I hope, in the coming years, there will be more women like me.
I am human. I make mistakes.
I have been lucky with the people that I've worked with - and I have worked with very few people.
Like every woman, I do have a #MeToo story, but if somebody wants to share something personal, they should do it when they want to, not because there is a movement or someone else is talking about it.
I have dealt with criticism from my first drama, and I think that is a part of our profession. It brings me down but definitely pushes me to do better.
As a child, I used to steal Indian film magazines.
I have a lot of respect for actors who do comedy. They do it naturally.
We cannot base our judgment on binaries such as a person's gender.
I've suffered from anxiety and a lot of other things.
Shah Rukh Khan is magic, really, honestly. He spoilt me for life. There's nothing you can't talk to him about, and we've had amazing conversations.
When we show our flaws, we show the world that we don't look pretty all the time.
I work with the same dedication and zeal in all my projects, but 'Raees' is very special.
Everyone goes through things; everyone has a story. That's why strangers are so interesting. I don't find a single human being boring, man.
My understanding is the day I start looking at myself as a star is the day I will die as an actor.
I don't even have time to buy clothes.
It isn't easy to break into Bollywood. But that's not my goal.
Good films with great content is what I dream about.
After watching Guru Dutt's films, I became a huge fan of Sahir Ludhianvi's poetry and the songs of Guru Dutt's films.
Through life's ups and downs, and the few mistakes we make and all the successes that we get, let nobody - nobody's opinion - define who you are. And if anybody defines who you are, let it be yourself.
The fact is I've always been such a big Bollywood fan, from the time I was very young. I remember I'd watch new Bollywood films every Thursday night on a video cassette.
Life is such a beautiful thing. When you sit for a moment during the day and live that particular moment, everything seems perfect.
The price of wisdom is innocence. So, I have definitely become wiser but sadly a little less innocent.
The success of 'Humsafar' comes with an added responsibility that whatever I do next has to be as good if not better, and I also don't want to miss out on my son's growing up years.
I do feel it's tougher to make a comic scene work than performing an intense scene, for example.
I wish I had gone to Cannes with a film, but I had gone there for L'Oreal Pakistan. I cannot tell you the people that I was around, from Helen Mirren to Jane Fonda. It was a proud moment on the red carpet when they announced my name and said 'Mahira Khan from Pakistan.'
Your life could be falling apart, but for your audience, you have to put up a show.
Now, I realise that love is peace. Love is when you are with somebody, and it's okay, and you don't have to talk. Their presence is important.
I was a dreamer, and I still am one.
When you put so much effort and hard work in a project, you wish to see the results.
I've always been sensitive and over-emotional.
I honestly didn't know how well Bin Roye would fare with audiences. I couldn't be indifferent while watching it. I kept seeing tiny nuances that I could have changed with my role.
I just want to do the best work wherever I go. It could be here in Pakistan or India or anywhere else.
I don't want to be close to politics.
I do only one film at a time.
My first priority is my child.
