We’re all geared up for Baarwan Khiladi, and while it marks many acting debuts, it’s also Mahira Khan’s production debut.
The movie is her first co-production under the banner of SoulFry Films. In a recent press meet for the Baarwan Khiladi cast and crew, everyone talked about their experience on set.
Amid this Mahira Khan shared how drastically different it was on set as a producer, not an artist.
“It’s very different to sit here as a producer and not an actor. When you’re an actor, you often place the blame on producers. You say, ‘What could we have done? The production just wasn’t good enough.’ Right now, no matter what happens with this series, the onus lies on us so it’s a very big responsibility.”
According to Express Tribune, the starlet isn’t very comfortable with sports dramas as she lacks knowledge in that department.
“When it comes to Baarwan Khladi, I was interested in making Aik Hai Nigar at the time, mainly because I had a deep interest in it. I don’t know anything about cricket. In fact, I don’t know much about sports in general. I was the kid who’d get sick every week in time for PE. That’s how much I didn’t enjoy sports.”
Then her co-producer Nina Kashif convinced to give that script a shot;
“Nina urged me to at least read the script for Baarwan Khiladi and eventually I agreed. When I was reading it, I realised how different it was. I wasn’t reading a sanitised version of a cricket story.”
However, good thing director Adnan Sarwar is a sports fan, so he had plenty of insight.
“Getting Adnan Sarwar worked out in our favor also, because not only is he a great director, he has a lot of knowledge related to sports. He is himself a sportsman.”
She continued, praising the cast, “Sarmad Khoosat, who is just, I’m not biased, but you’ll see how brilliant he is in the series. I’d also like to thank Shoaib Malik for coming in. People don’t do this. Come and be a part of something, no questions asked. Fawad Khan, who hasn’t blessed us with films, which he will soon, but will do this for us.”
As for the critique that comes with being a producer, the Superstar actress is all set for that too. She’s rather confident that she didn’t expand her horizons to step back.
“The thing is that it’s difficult to make a profitable production, … We are putting out the content we want to put out. I may be lacking because, for me, production is about passion. If I was concerned with making my production a hit first and foremost, I would have written myself into the script and then gotten one of my friends like Humayun or Fawad to play the lead. I would have made a package that was very commercial. But, the idea not to do that. The idea is to put my money where my mouth is. To not be the person who complains about there not being writers or content. Do it yourself, right?”
The Humsafar star is actually looking forward to proving critics wrong.
“If, later on in life or even now, people tell me I’m not cut out for production, it’s not a big deal for me at all because for many years, I’ve been told that I’m not cut out for acting. So, I’m very used to proving people wrong and I enjoy it.”
Mahira Khan also co-produced Aik Hai Nigar with Nina Kashif under the SoulFry banner.
