Mahira Khan reveals viral smoking pictures with Ranbir Kapoor triggered her anxiety

It was an extremely tough time for Pakistani actress Mahira Khan when she was photographed on the streets of London, smoking with Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor. The pictures from 2017 became a massive deal back then with fans slamming her for her choice of outfit and smoking in public. At the time, Mahira, who is usually seen in modest ethnic outfits was pictured wearing a skimpy backless white dress. Opening up about what that 2017 episode did to her mental health, Mahira said that it took her to a dark place.

Talking to FWhy Podcast, Mahira Khan said that her mental health went downhill after she worked in the Hindi film industry opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees. It was the same year when she was pictured with Ranbir Kapoor and the photos went viral. The Raees actress said, "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, and 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 was the first time I went to 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."

Mahira also spoke about the 2016 Uri attack in India that Pakistan was pinned the blame for. That incident led to Pakistani artists being banned from working in Bollywood. She said, "I had finished the film (Raees) and everything was going fine and then suddenly this attack (Uri attack) happens. Politically everything gets messed up. 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 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)."

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Meanwhile, Mahira Khan will be seen in Netfix’s first Pakistan-themed original titled Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo. The project will also feature Pakistani heartthrobs Fawad Khan, and Sanam Saeed. The trio is set to headline the series. The series is an official adaptation of Farhat Ishtiaq's bestselling 2013 Urdu-language novel of the same name. The story revolves around Sikandar, a Harvard law student, who keeps himself aloof after an incident takes a toll on his life. Sikandar meets Liza, an artist with a troubled past, in Italy.

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