Meera's disappearing act

Pakistani actress Meera, who debuted with Mahesh Bhatt's controversial flick, Nazar, has been missing for the last 20 days.

Meera was last seen at the international airport, boarding a flight for Dubai on December 10, as she was heading for the Dubai International Film Festival that started on December 17.

Concerned and anxious family members in Lahore have failed to trace her whereabouts after repeated attempts. Her secretary, D K Shroff, and spokesperson-publicist Dale Bhagwagar, intend to lodge a missing person's complaint with the Juhu police.

Scared to wed

While family members remain tightlipped about Meera's disappearing act, a source attributed it to parental pressure for getting married.

Says a family friend from Pune, who wished to be unnamed, "Meera's parents want her to get married now, but not at the cost of her career. The last time, she had a bitter fight with her father and stormed out of the house. In fact, she was living in Dubai for some time owing to the differences. The Lahore dailies had reported that."

Assaulted a journo

There are also unconfirmed reports of a journalist filing an FIR with the Lahore police, stating that the actress had hired goons to threaten him. Even the Lahore police failed to establish contact with her.

Her secretary Shroff informs, "Meera owns a production house in Dubai, and prefers spending a considerable amount of time there whenever she is tense and trying to come to terms with something."

Meera incommunicado

Meera's spokesperson, Bhagwagar says, "Meera has been globe-trotting for the last two months. She attended the IFFI Festival in Goa, then the Saarc Summit in New Delhi and the Kara film Festival in Pakistan. She was back in India at the beginning of December, and left for Dubai on December 10, to attend the Dubai International Film Festival, which took place on December 17. Since then, she has been incommunicado."

Adds Shroff, "I spoke to her sister Aqsa in Lahore, and even she has no clue, as Meera's phone has been switched off since December 10."

Authorities at Dubai Media City have revealed that Meera did attend the first day at the Dubai festival, but was untraceable after that. Is the actress's vanishing linked to some problem? Her spokesperson dismisses any such possibility, "No, she's a strong-willed and independent girl. I guess she will be fine and safe wherever she is."