There’s always one glorious moment at a historic event that remains etched in your memory forever. For Mahira Khan, the first Pakistani actress to walk the red carpet at the 71st Cannes Film Festival for a cosmetic giant, that defining moment arrived when she was getting her make-up done on the morning of May 13.
“On my right, it was Jane Fonda and on my left-hand side it was Helen Mirren. I was just like: ‘wow, is this even for real?’” said Khan in an exclusive interview over the phone from Cannes.
But the highest-paid actress in Pakistan, 33, wasn’t star-struck, but just felt “incredibly thankful” for such a golden opportunity. It’s her first time at the Cannes Film Festival representing L’Oreal Paris and she joins the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Julianne Moore who are also the faces of that brand.
“It’s such an honour and a privilege that I am able to come here and speak to everyone about my country, my culture and my films. That’s so cool. The fact that we can all come here and meet — it lessens our differences and increases our similarities. People have asked me about what it’s like to work in Pakistan and abroad. It’s such a healthy cultural exchange.”
“It’s such an amazing time to be here when Cate Blanchett is the head of the jury. Just imagine that, it doesn’t get better than that,” said Khan. A few days ago, Blanchett had led a silent protest on the red carpet along with 81 other women to highlight the lack of female directors at the festival. A series of measures to tackle sexual abuse, such as a hotline for survivors to report sexual abuse, has also been set up by the festival this year, in light of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations that triggered a seismic shift in tolerating inappropriate behaviour at workplace.
“I was just telling a friend of mine that I was so grateful to be here during a year where they are celebrating women. L’Oreal is also celebrating women this year… So it’s such an honour and privilege,” said Khan.
“Just pray that my dress is nice,” said Khan with a laugh.
But the festival is more than just attaining fashion nirvana, believes this actress.
“At the end of the day, it’s a celebration of films. This year, Cannes opened with Asghar Farhadi’s film which had Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. In this case, how do you separate their glamour as a couple and where they stand in that film? You can’t separate glamour and the films at this festival… Grace Kelly, when she appeared at Cannes, she dressed up. But you cannot forget about the films that showcased at that time.”
According to the Verna star, nothing is bigger than films and fashion just comes under its bracket.
“Films can never take a back-seat… Nothing goes beyond the films,” said Khan.
A single mother and a hugely successful star in Pakistan, Khan also lets us in on a secret. Her days at Cannes may be filled with brand ambassadorship duties, photoshoots and interviews, but she sits down in earnest for make-up only once in the morning.
“That one proper make-up session happens in the morning and the rest of the day we are just tweaking the existing make-up like extending the eyeliner into a winged one. We have been so busy since I have arrived.”
Putting across a flawless persona isn’t her end-game, maintains the actress.
The real strength of a person is revealed on when she’s comfortable to put herself out there with warts and all.
“Like Sonam said, there is usually an army of people working on the way we look and dress… But it’s important that people like us show our flaws. When we show our flaws, we show the world that we don’t look pretty all the time. It’s so important. When I did a film like Verna, I had no make-up for the entire film,” said Khan. But that doesn’t mean that the actors don’t feel fear of being shamed.
“We are as petrified as anyone else about being shamed… What we wear, what we do and what we say may get shamed publicly. But that shouldn’t stop us.”
But her life experiences along the way have been giving her tremendous strength. At Cannes, it was heartening for Khan to meet celebrities who belonged to different ages, sizes and colour representing L’Oreal Paris. While Hollywood and Bollywood stars are regular fixtures now at the Cannes red carpet, it’s Pakistan’s first attempt at earning red carpet stripes. But Khan isn’t feeling the pressure as she’s intent on concentrating on the big picture.
Her inclusion at the festival could be indicative of the robust revival of Pakistani cinema, which has seen a spurt of growth in the last five years with mushrooming of good quality films.
“We are all growing… L’Oreal has been in Pakistan for a while, but they took time to be confident about bringing on a Pakistani ambassador and it took them time to be confident enough to bring me to Cannes … It’s a sign that our films are going global … So my presence here could be symbolic of Pakistani films being revived.”
Khan, through her films such as Verna, in which she played a rape survivor, and Bol, which tackled religious extremism, has been in the forefront of the film revival moment in her native country.
“There’s no method to the madness that goes in choosing projects. It’s instinctive. Like the other day, I felt like doing a comedy film and the next day I got an offer for 7 Din Mohabbat In [her Eid release this year]. I thought that was a sign from the universe.”
“I was a dreamer and I still am one. When things like this happen, I am just blowing kisses to the sky. That’s all what I am doing. No matter how tough my life was, I was always looking up at the sky and wishing for good things. After I hang up the phone, I am going to go to my balcony in my hotel room and blow kisses to the sky.”
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QUOTE UNQUOTE:
“When we speak out against abuse, it’s a big thing. It’s a big thing for people who cannot speak out. It gives them strength. We are privileged as actors and we have a lot of sway… But we are also petrified as anyone about being shamed… #MeToo movement is an important, serious movement and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.” Mahira Khan on actors and actresses calling out sexual predators.
DID YOU KNOW?
Mahira Khan’s planned red carpet dress got stuck at the customs and didn’t turn up on time. She finally wore an Alberta Ferretti gown. “On my way you guys.. dress didn’t turn up, but it’s raining and I’m nervous but maybe it’s a sign... #Cannes2018,” she tweeted on Monday.
