I Don’t Just Represent Me, I Represent Every Woman In Pakistan – Mahira Khan

I Don’t Just Represent Me, I Represent Every Woman In Pakistan – Mahira Khan

Mahira has a feeling that there is a lot of stereotyping and generalizations of opinions that need to be stopped 

Facing a number of controversies and bans with poise, courage and confidence during various points in time, the ever-gorgeous and born star, Mahira Khan, has been redefining the meaning of what it is to be a Pakistani woman.

Spotted at the UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF) in United Kingdom, where her film Verna was screened in a special show, the actress spoke about the reasons behind the temporary ban on Verna, the prevalence of stereotyping, the misperceptions regarding Pakistan, and how it is ready for a change in one of her recent interviews to The Guardian.

Featuring a story of a rape survivor, Shoaib Mansoor’s Verna was banned due to its sensitive content; however, the ban was later lifted because masses stood up for it.

“I was nervous about how it would work as a film as well as the performance. But about the subject matter? Never, because I stand by it. There were certain aspects of the story that people did not agree with, but not about the core message of the film. What we have to bear in mind is that, yes, Verna was going to get banned because of the decision of a small minority, but [it] did not get banned because of the majority who stood up for the film. To me, that is a victory,” Mahira told The Guardian while speaking about the ban on one of her films.

She went on to mention how the murder of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari served as a breaking point for the Pakistani society and how Pakistan is ready for a change now.

Moreover, Mahira has a feeling that there is a lot of stereotyping and generalizations of opinions about people that need to be stopped. Sharing on why she feels that she represents every woman of Pakistan, she said;

“We are very quick to make generalizations about people – all Muslims are terrorists, all Pakistani women are oppressed, all Pakistani men are abusing them. The only reason people do that is because they don’t care enough to take the time to find out more. Because of this, I feel that I don’t just represent me, I represent every woman in Pakistan. I may not wear a hijab or have made the same choices, but there is a whole spectrum of women in Pakistan and I feel that I represent them.”