After ban on Pak actors in Bollywood, Mahira Khan dropped from SRK's Raees'?

Mumbai: Political parties have called for a ban on Pakistani actors and the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) has also banned them from working in the country till relations improved between the neighbouring countries after the terror attacks in Uri. As a result, the fate of films like ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ and ‘Raees’, which have Pakistani actors like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan respectively, was in limbo after political parties threatened to stall the release of the films. The two actors raised their voice against terror attacks and appealed for peace in their Facebook posts recently, without particularly mentioning the recent terror attacks in Uri.

Despite the recent post, it seems that Mahira is set to be replaced in ‘Raees’, featuring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. The shooting of the film still has not been completed and amid the current situation, shooting with Mahira would be a difficult task, prompting producer Ritesh Sidhwani to replace the actress.

“It was a very painful decision for producer Ritesh Sidhwani to take. The pressure to replace her had been building up for months. It reached a crescendo after the Uri attacks. It came to a point where it became impossible to shoot with any Pakistani. People suggested all kinds of solutions to the impasse, including shooting in Dubai. But it didn’t seem viable. Now, Mahira has unfortunately been relieved of her duties. The 'Raees' team needs to find a new girl in two weeks’ time,” a source told DNA.

As far as Fawad Khan and ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ is concerned, the release is just a few days away and it is unlikely that the makers can change anything with the film now.