Mahira, Fawad Khan and Ali Zafar: Pakistani actors and their Bollywood careers

While initial reports claimed that Sonam Kapoor will star opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees, earlier today, Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment, confirmed on Twitter that Pakistani actress Mahira Khan has been signed for the film. Mahira is a big television star in Pakistan. The actress has been a part of many successful tv serials like Humsafar (which also starred Fawad Khan), Neeyat and Sadqay Tumhare.  She is also a VJ and hosts her own talk show. Things seems to be really working in favour of the actress. Bollywood history will testify that debuting opposite Shah Rukh have always spelled success. In past, Shilpa Shetty, Kajol, Mahima Choudhary, Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone have all debuted in hit films starring Shah Rukh. Apart from that, Raees, which will be helmed by Rahul Dholakia, the maker of Parzania, seems to have an interesting storyline . The film also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a crucial role.   [caption id=“attachment_1852473” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: ibn live[/caption] While before Mahira many Pakistani actors and actresses have tried their luck in Bollywood, few have tasted success and none so far have achieved stardom. The biggest success story as far as imported talents from Pakistan is concerned, is Ali Zafar. Zafar struck gold not only in Pakistan, but also internationally with his debut album, Huqa Pani. While his songs became quite popular in India, few might know that the actor actually began his acting career with a Bollywood film Tere Bin Laden. Last seen in Kill Dil, Zafar has worked in films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Chashme Baddoor and London, Paris New York. [caption id=“attachment_1852619” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: ibn live[/caption] Other than Zafar, another Pakistani actor who has charmed his way into the hearts of many this year, is Fawad Khan. The actor, who debuted opposite Sonam Kapoor in Disney’s Khoobsurat is currently the new pin-up boy of Bollywood. Khan might have played prince charming in his latest release but the lead singer in band Entity Paradigm, he has the reputation of being a rock star back home. The actor in fact has an insane female fan base in Pakistan courtesy his hit tv shows like Humsafar and Zindagi Gulzar Hai. After receiving such a warm welcome in Bollywood, Khan is reportedly going to star in yet another movie,  Battle For Bittora. [caption id=“attachment_1852643” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: ibn live[/caption] Pakistani actors have been luckier than their female counterparts, when it came to Bollywood. Although a string of actresses from Pakistan have tried to make their mark, none have succeeded till date. One such case is that of Zeba Bakhtiar, who debuted in Bollywood with Henna opposite Rishi Kapoor. While the actress did gain popularity for playing that character, her career in Bollywood did not take off. After several duds, the actress finally gave up on her Bollywood dream. She was in news few years ago for her divorce with singer Adnan Sami. [caption id=“attachment_1852667” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: Youtube[/caption] Unlike Bakhtiar, Somy Ali had a better run in India. The actress starred in several average films after debuting with Anth in 1993. However, she was better known for being Salman Khan’s girlfriend. Reportedly, Khan fell for Aishwarya Rai while still in relationship with Ali and that broke Ali’s heart. After that, she left Bollywood forever and went and settled in United States. [caption id=“attachment_1852681” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: ibn live[/caption] In recent times, Pakistani actress Veena Malik has grabbed many headlines. While she is mostly known for her edgy and sexy fashion sense and holding the Guinness World Records for getting maximum kisses in a span of one minute, Malik has also appeared in some Bollywood films which no one have ever seem. Mumbai 125 KM 3D? Zindagi 50-50? Ring a bell? well, like we said, no one have ever seen these films. [caption id=“attachment_1852693” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Firstpost[/caption] Sara Loren made her Bollywood debut in Pooja Bhatt’s  Kajraare (another movie that no one saw) and later played the role of Nisha in Murder 3. However, after that she didn’t get any substantial roles in Bollywood films. She has done a couple of item numbers in past years. [caption id=“attachment_1852703” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: ibn live[/caption] Last but not the least, we had Humaima Malick making her Bollywood debut opposite Emraan Hashmi in Raja Natwarlal this year. Needless to say, the film did horribly at the box office. [caption id=“attachment_1852715” align=“aligncenter” width=“620”]  Courtesy: Ibn live[/caption]