Mahira Khan, one of Pakistan’s most celebrated stars, has always been admired for her grace and screen presence. She is best known in India for marking her Bollywood debut in 2017 with the Shah Rukh Khan starrer film Raees. However, behind the success was a phase she rarely spoke about, until she finally opened up about her emotional turmoil that happened when Pakistani actors were banned from working in India following the 2016 URI attack. In a candid conversation, she revisited the time she battled severe anxiety and depression as political tensions escalated and backlash intensified. Here’s a look back at her honest and powerful revelation.
Mahira Khan On Battling Depression
In an interview with FWhy podcast, Mahira revealed she was diagnosed with manic depression after Raees was released and also spoke about smoking pictures with Ranbir Kapoor that went viral. She shared, “I had finished the film (Raees), 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!”
She added, “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 (SRK) is loved here (Pakistan).”
Mahira Khan On Getting Backlash After Raees Released
Mahira further added, “That (backlash) brought out the anxiety and depression hidden inside me. That was a hard time for me. I felt attacked. I guess I had built it up, and then it came crashing down. The constant backlash. You are getting mean tweets, comments on their channels (Indian channels). That was a time when my faith broke a little, 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. I was very lucky, though, because I had my family and friends supporting me, but still it isn’t external; it’s how you’re feeling inside. So, that year was rough, and it was the same year Raees released and the same year that whole picture thing happened. It broke me, and I couldn’t sleep; my hands used to shake,” she continued.
Mahira Khan Confessed Being Under Medication
Mahira Khan also admitted that she has been under medication for around 6-7 years. The actress said, “I ended up in a psychiatrist’s office, and she said, ‘We will talk about everything later on, but I need you to know that you have manic depression.’ This is the first time I am saying that; I don’t know if I should. It’s been six-seven years, I’ve been on anti-depressants. I’ve tried leaving them in the middle, and I went into a very dark space.”
She continued, “Last year, I was in bed. I remember very well that I couldn’t even get up from my bed to go to the bathroom. I remember praying, ‘I promise you, Allah, if you show me even this much hope or light, I will take it, and I will run with it.’ And when he did, and when I went back on my medicines, I woke up feeling like, ‘Oh my God, I feel like I can smile, feel lighter.’ Clinical depression is real, just like any other physical illness or mental illness. We should treat it like that.”
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