Our very own Mahira Khan has been working in a Bollywood film Raees which is set in the Indian state of Gujarat. Obviously, being there and doing a Gujarati character, she must have learned the language a fair bit. Not so, it seems. The one word she claimed she has learned, according to one of her interviews, is ‘dafor’ which she says means ‘idiot’. Has it occurred to Mahira K that it might just be a local variant of the word ‘duffer’? Or not.

The good thing about working in a bigger industry is that she believes she now dances without inhibition. Also, it has made her ambitious. The actress has expressed her desire to play in future either the role of Umrao Jaan or the one that Meena Kumari played in Pakeezah. See, she’s a smart cookie. Both parts require her to dance well, without inhibition.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 1st, 2016