Maira Khan isn’t the average girl-next-door and neither does she want to play the character, given her impressive filmography. A Lux Style Awards winner (Jee Chahta Hai, 2010) and reality show contestant (Tamasha, 2022), she’s more inclined towards travelling.

It is her inherent passion to see the world, due to the footloose streak in her nature, rather than nailing all the right projects which would elevate the status of her career in showbiz. But that’s just how she’s wired. Another thing she’s passionate about is essaying strong women in television dramas and films.

As a former VJ and now TV and film actress, which has been your most favourite medium?

Maira Khan: Films remain my first love and the rest follow. Actually, all these are special to me in their own particular way. Television is time-consuming but has a much larger audience. Also, VJ-ing is where I can just be myself.

Wild child with a rebellious streak running through her,Maira Khan is not your average TV and fi lm actress.But it is what keeps her going

What was it like being a VJ on Play TV?

MK: Simpler days, lesser channels, more exposure. They were fun times… it was more about fun than earning money back in those days.

As a former Tamasha contestant, do you still watch it and who were you rooting for in the latest season?

MK: I couldn’t see the whole show this season but just glimpses on social media. But I got all the info from my mother though. This season, I was rooting for Natasha and Omer Shahzad, as I found them a little bit more sensible than all the other Tamasha contestants.

Daadal remains your all time favourite project. Why?

MK: I hold all my films very close to my heart, and Daadal is also one of them. I like the plot of the film where we show that Pakistani women are as strong as other women in the world.

What is the one film you would have loved to work in? Any projects in the offing?

MK: I wish I could have been a part of The Legend of Maula Jatt! For me, 2024 starts with two feature films with very different storylines, and my characters in both films are very different from what I’ve already portrayed in the past.

What’s your all time favourite drama and your role in it?

MK: Mehmaan was a serial by Zeba Bakhtiar which was aired on ARY Digital and was shot in Malaysia. In it, I played a Malay girl who marries a Pakistani guy played by Sami Khan. I fully enjoyed the experience. The 2013 political film Chambaili by Shehzad Nawaz and Ismail Jilani was my first-ever feature film and I really loved my character Kiran in it.

How has your journey been on TV so far? Any regrets, missed opportunities, etc?

MK: No regrets, none, really. The time I couldn’t give to my television career I gave to myself travelling around the world, which has always been my first love.

Your mother, TV actress Shakeela Anayat, has been very supportive of your career. Is she living her dreams and aspirations through you?

MK: Most definitely, my mum has always been my pillar of strength. The only dream she lives through me is keeping me strong and on my toes, and giving me a realistic approach towards life by supporting me on whatever decisions I take in life and career. I’m blessed to have such a strong woman like my mum by my side.

What kind of roles do you enjoy doing? What roles do you end up being offered mostly?

MK: I enjoy acting immensely and I don’t really care what type of role I’m being offered. If it excites me, I end up being a part of the project. Pure and simple.

How well do you handle controversy and online trolling? Elaborate.

MK: I used to take it quite seriously but, with time, I’ve realised that it has become a part of the life I have chosen to live. If people don’t talk about you, you’re lost! I enjoy it now and, at times, deliberately post on social media to see people’s reactions when I’m feeling bored!

You have been known to vanish from the scene ever so often. Why?

MK: I feel the world is too beautiful to ignore. If you have the means you should travel. I’d call myself more of a globe-trotter and adventurer than an actor because if I put as much love and dedication in my acting career as I do in travelling, I would have won an Oscar by now! [laughs].

It seems you have put aside marriage plans for a career in showbiz. Any regrets? When will it be the right time for you to get hitched?

MK: I haven’t delayed anything in life because of anything. My showbiz career has never been my first choice over personal decisions. My priorities differ from time to time. I live life as it comes. I’m a fun-loving person who doesn’t take life too seriously. About marriage, the person who is meant for me will show up when the time is right.

So is marriage and having a husband and kids part of your plans in the near future?

MK: The day I meet my match, I’ll get down on my knees and propose to him myself. I feel he’s right round the corner though. I can feel it!

What are you looking forward to in the next few years?

MK: More travelling, having more fun doing what I do. I have decided to dedicate 2024 to my acting career over travelling…fingers crossed!

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 31st, 2023