Mahira Khan once met Sanjay Leela Bhansali; she recalls it during an interview.

Summary: Actress Mahira Khan of Pakistan recalls how she lost Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi amidst the political tensions.

Sanjay Leela’s Heeramandi which was released in May this year was going to be a movie 18 years back. Yes, you read that he was planning for this movie long ago but couldn’t put it together due to several reasons. 

He envisioned doing the movie with Pakistan actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, unfortunately, the idea was sacked because of political unrest regarding Pakistan actors in the Indian movie, in the country. 

Recently in an interview, she shared the instance where and how she met Sanjay Leela Bhansali,   the producer of movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, RamLeela, Devdas, Padmaavat, and Bajirao Mastani. 

She told the news channel, "I love Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and I have been the biggest fan of his work. This is 15 years ago; I had gone to a wedding because it was my childhood friend's wedding, and she was getting married to an Indian guy. We were in Bombay, and he was looking for a Pakistani actress," 

"Shout-out to Moin Beg, who came up with this concept. He was sitting with Rizwan Beg, a designer, and they were discussing how they hadn't been able to find a girl. My friend from Mumbai was in Pakistan to find her wedding outfit, which was made by Rizwan Beg. Moin Beg was there, and they said they were looking for a girl from Pakistan for something. So, my friend Sharmeen said, 'Have you seen Mahira? She is a VJ.' So, without telling me, she took me to meet them."

Mahira did a photoshoot wearing a Salwar-Kameez and was invited to meet the man himself, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. To begin her career she had traveled to India in hopes of working with Shah Rukh Khan. 

According to her, this is how the meeting went:  "What a man he is! So creative and a genius. He said, 'Can you wipe your lipstick off?' I said, 'I'm not wearing any lipstick.' So, he said, 'Wipe it off,' and I did. He said, 'Wow.' At that time, he told me about Heeramandi. He was very excited that I could be a part of it, but it didn't work out. It was in the works, and it was a film at that time. Right after that, some attacks happened. So, for political problems, I couldn't work in it."

"That time, it was this thing that 'don’t tell him you’re married'. That night, I couldn’t sleep. I was anxious and couldn’t sleep. So, I told Moin Baeg that I wanted Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s number because I wanted to tell him that I was married. He said, 'Why?' I said, 'Because this is the dream. I wanted to be an actor all my life, and I can’t start it with a lie.' So, I called him up and told him this, and he said, 'Ah, okay, don’t worry. Send me an audition.' The audition was of a piece from Mughal-e-Azam, and come back, and then that happened."

During the premiere of the series Heeramandi, which was released in May, starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Sehgal, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Taha Shah, Fardeen Khan, and Shekar Sumar, he revealed: 

"This was 18 years ago, so at one point, it was Rekha ji, Kareena (Kapoor Khan), and Rani Mukerji. Then it changed into another cast; then it changed into another cast."

"It was supposed to be a film. At one point, it was also Mahira Khan, the Pakistani actor, then Fawad Khan and Imran Abbas. But then it all changed."