In the wake of the anti-Pakistan wave in the country, Pakistani actor Mahira Khan has reportedly been shown the door from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees. The tussle surrounding Pakistani artists working in India has claimed it first victim. If rumours are to be believed, Pakistani actor Mahira Khan has been dropped off Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees. The gangster drama directed by Rahul Dholakia is set to release on Republic Day, next year.
According to reports, a ‘reliable source’ has confirmed that the makers of Raees are now looking to replace Mahira Khan.”It was a very painful decision for producer Ritesh Sidhwani to take. The pressure to replace her had been building up for months. It reached a crescendo after the Uri attacks. It came to a point where it became impossible to shoot with any Pakistani. People suggested all kinds of solutions to the impasse, including shooting in Dubai. But it didn’t seem viable. Now, Mahira has unfortunately been relieved of her duties,” the source was quoted as saying.
Following the terror attacks at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, on September 18, which resulted in the death of 19 Indian soldiers, several groups all across India began clamouring for Pakistani artists working in India to leave the country. The most prominent among them is the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) which has threatened to ‘beat up’ Pakistani artists working in India along with those that hire them.
Now, the makers of Raees, Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment and Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment will have to look for a new actor to fill Mahira’s shoes. “The Raees team needs to find a new girl in two weeks’ time,” the source told the website. Reportedly based on real-life Gujarati gangster Abdul Latif, Rahul Dholakia’s Raees is set in ’80s Gujarat and revolves around a bootlegger (Shah Rukh Khan) who is pitted against a police officer (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Mahira Khan was supposed to play the bootlegger’s wife.
