Pakistan’s biggest superstar with a global fan base, actress Mahira Khan, will be attending the UK’s leading South Asian film festival to champion female-oriented films, artists and auteurs, UK Asian Film Festival. Historically known as Tongues on Fire and, more recently, London Asian Film Festival, the festival synonymous with programmes featuring strong, South Asian feminist content will run in London, Leicester, Manchester and Edinburgh from 14th – 25th March, now known as UK Asian Film Festival.
The Opening Gala Dinner on 14th March at The May Fair Hotel, will host an “In Conversation with Mahira Khan”. The evening will also feature an award presentation honouring female heroes that have challenged stereotypes, broken barriers and pushed boundaries to make a difference. Further attendees will include veteran Indian actress, director, producer and talk show hostess, Simi Garewal.
On 15th March, Mahira Khan will be conducting a Q&A with audiences at Phoenix Cinema, Leicester. On 16th March at Regent Street Cinema, London the actress will conduct a Q&A following a screening of social issue film, Verna. Synonymous with female-centric films that hold a mirror to the injustices of contemporary society, director Shoaib Mansoor’s latest feature tackles the issues of rape, misogyny and the position of women in Pakistani society and culture.
With her fan base transcending borders globally, Mahira Khan made her film debut with the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Bol (2011) directed by Shoaib Mansoor, which become one of Pakistan’s highest grossing films of all time. She went on to champion roles in film and television, garnering a portfolio of coveted industry awards and accolades along the way. She played lead role in Pakistani drama Humsafar, a turning point for the Pakistani television industry, with many attributing the series to the renaissance of local drama, now consumed by audiences globally. Since then, she has essayed lead roles in the country’s most popular television dramas and films, going on to crossover into Bollywood, cast opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan in Hindi film Raees (2017). Khan’s recent performance in Shoaib Mansoor’s Verna (2017) garnered unanimous plaudit the world over. With the biggest social media following of any Pakistani actor, she was recently announced as the first ever Pakistani Ambassador for L’Oreal.
Marking 100 years of women gaining the right to vote in the UK, the theme of UK Asian Film Festival 2018 is F-Rated – known to have denoted films that have been cinematically classified as representing women on film or behind the camera and that are female-centric in subject matter.
Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences at the BFI says, “We are pleased to support the 20th anniversary of the festival, enabling it to expand to reach more people across the UK and to engage audiences with a broad range of South Asian cinema.”
UK Asian Film Festival 2018
14th – 25th March
Various venues across Edinburgh, Manchester, Leicester and London
Full Festival Programme and Bookings via: www.ukasianfilmfestival.com
BollyNews UK 
Mahira khan is a new face of educated,confident talented, actress of Pakistan, that shows strength,and still remain,graceful,and look beautiful!
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