Mahira Khan with Shah Rukh Khan in Raees - Page 3

Mahira, whose Adnan Malik-starrer drama Sadqay Tumhare is currently being aired, has mostly been playing the girl-next-door prototype. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

Humsafar's leading lady Mahira Khan is slated to make her debut in Bollywood starring opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the much talked about Raees, according to the Times of India.

Mahira visited Mumbai last month after her television serial Humsafar gained popularity in India. Mega producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar were the quickest to move in, finalising the actress for Raees' which is being directed by Rahul Dholakia, who won a national award for his film Parzania.

The film has Shah Rukh Khan playing a don and is likely to have Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing a cop. A source said that SRK had dropped in at the audition to meet Mahira, according to the ToI.

Further, a source close to the development told Mirror that the makers were looking for an "international" face instead of a familiar Bollywood name, which explains how Mahira bagged the coveted role.

"She plays SRK's wife in the film. He's a gangster based in Gujarat while Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the cop who traps him in Mumbai. It's a complex role and both the film's director Rahul Dholakia and producers, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, believe she is perfect for the part."

The casting of the leading lady of this film has been a mystery for a while with earlier reportssuggested that Sonam Kapoor and very recently Kirti Sanon had bagged the big role in a Shah Rukh Khan starrer film.

Mumbai: National award winner Rahul Dholakia has finally found his female lead for his next film to be produced by Excel Entertainment. Mahira Khan, an actress from Pakistan has been roped in for this film. The casting of the leading lady of this film has been a mystery for a while. Earlier reports suggested that Sonam Kapoor and very recently Kirti Sanon has bagged the big role in a Shah Rukh Khan starrer film.

Shah Rukh Khan will play a role of a Gujarati don and reportedly Nawazuddin Sidddiqui will play the role of a cop.

However, the makers of the film have finalized Mahira as her looks and personality perfectly matched the character that was penned by the director.

Mahira came to limelight with her performance in Bol' in 2011. This year, her TV series Humsafar has been the talking point in her career. It is learnt that she made a hush-hush trip to Mumbai and auditioned for the role.

Shah Rukh is currently filming Maneesh Sharma's Fan in Mumbai. He will later work on Rohit Shetty's next and Rahul Dholakia's 'Raees' in 2015.