Mahira Khan marks 15 years of Humsafar with tribute
Actor shares Instagram video linking her Khirad role to new drama Mitti De Baway, which premiered this month.
Pakistani actor Mahira Khan has marked the 15th anniversary of Humsafar, the 2011 television drama that made her a star, with a tribute on Instagram.
In a video posted on her account, she paired a clip of herself as Khirad from Humsafar with a clip of herself as Bilqees Bano, known as Billo, in her new drama Mitti De Baway, which premiered this month. According to Minute Mirror, the timing echoed the original premiere: Humsafar first aired around this time of year in 2011.
Addressing fans as her "dearest" and "most precious Humsafars", Mahira said it felt surreal that her new drama was airing around the same time as Humsafar had debuted. She thanked audiences for their support over 15 years and said her connection with viewers had remained constant even as her career changed.
Humsafar, based on Farhat Ishtiaq's novel and starring Fawad Khan opposite Mahira, followed cousins Khirad and Ashar through an arranged marriage, separation and misunderstanding. The drama became a major success in Pakistan and abroad and is widely credited with strengthening local television at a time when Indian and Turkish productions were drawing Pakistani viewers.
The series also changed the careers of its cast and crew. Mahira became one of Pakistan's most recognisable actresses; Fawad Khan gained popularity in India and appeared in films including Khoobsurat, Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil; and director Sarmad Khoosat later made Manto, Zindagi Tamasha and Lali.
Mahira has returned to television with Mitti De Baway, a Punjab-set drama in which she stars opposite Wahaj Ali. Ahead of the premiere, she also posted a message for director Wajahat Hussain, thanking him for his belief in her character. "You believed in Billo and knew her more than I ever could," she wrote, signing off as "your Billo." The drama has attracted attention after its opening episodes, Minute Mirror reported.
The anniversary comes weeks after Mahira announced at the Toronto International Film Festival that she is expecting her second child.
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