Pakistani actress, Mahira Khan, who stepped into Bollywood with the film ‘Raees’ opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The actress shared about things getting worst after the shooting.
The actress had to go back to Pakistan following the infamous Uri attack in 2016. Mahira opened up about battling depression due to the backlash and a strict ban from bollywood.
Mahira said, “I had finished the film and everything was going fine and then suddenly this attack (Uri attack) happens. Politically everything gets messed. With India, it is always political. But the fact that it could get this messy! I was not scared, but I was threatened. Constant tweets, in fact, I would get calls, and very scary ones. The only thing I wanted was that ‘Okay fine I can’t go to India to promote it (Raees), but I hope it releases in my country because I knew people would rush to watch it as he (Shah Rukh Khan) is loved here (in Pakistan).”
The actress continued saying, “That (backlash) brought out the anxiety and depression hidden inside me. That was a hard time for me. I felt attacked. The constant backlash… you are getting mean tweets, comments on their channels (Indian channels). That was a time my faith broke and I developed severe anxiety to the point that one day I had a panic attack and fainted. That’s the first time I went for therapy. But that didn’t work out, as I went to several therapists… that year was rough… I couldn’t sleep, my hands used to shake.”
