Gauri Khan’s mother suggested Mahira Khan’s name for Raees because she enjoyed her work in a Pakistani serial: ‘Yeh ladki achi hai’

Mahira Khan in Raees. (Photo: IMDb)

He added, “Now, there are very few actresses (in India), who are in their 30s with good Hindi and an innocence. There was Deepika, Kareena, and Anushka. We had these three or four heroines who met the criteria. But now, the problem with them was that they are too expensive and the role is too small for them. Then we went through a complete list which included Sonam and Katrina. At the end of the day, we realised this wasn’t working for us. They were not really fitting the role. Shah Rukh Khan cannot romance an Alia Bhatt!”

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Revealing the story behind how he came across Mahira Khan, Rahul shared, “I think both Gauri (Khan)’s mother and my mother had seen Mahira in some Pakistani television show. They both said: ‘Yeh ladki achi hai‘. Honey Trehan was casting for us. I called him up and asked if he knew Mahira. He said, ‘She is here in Mumbai for some promotional work.’ He then said, ‘I will bring her tomorrow, you can audition her for the role.’ We then auditioned her at the Excel office. After the audition, I declared, ‘I have found my Aasiya.”

Mahira Khan in Raees. (Photo IMDb)

Speaking at the Faiz International Festival in 2016, Mahira revealed her side of the story. She said, “I went to Mumbai for the promotions of Humsafar. A few phone calls kept coming and I could not pick. Then I got a message, ‘big film, pick up.’ I thought, ‘I will enjoy this call if nothing else’.”

She added, “They explained the film to me, but it I could not understand. Then they said it is an Excel production. That rang a bell, they had done some great films such as Dil Chahta Hai. So I said ‘okay’. Then I was asked to meet the director the next day. I got up early morning, met them. I was told a bit about the story but Shah Rukh Khan remained a secret. I auditioned for them the next day and later got a call saying ‘you have got the part’. I asked them, what part it was and I was told, ‘You are the lead opposite Shah Rukh Khan.”