Meera (Pakistani actress)

Career

In 2004, she played a role in Salakhain In 2005, she acted in a joint Indo-Pakistani film, Nazar with which she debuted in Bollywood. Her kissing scenes with co-star Ashmit Patel, an Indian Hindu actor, led to much outrage and denunciation among conservative Muslim clerics of Pakistan. Patel's visa application was rejected by Pakistani government, while Meera was threatened with bombing of her press conference and ban from films. She later called it a "baseless controversy", defending herself citing freedom of expression.

In 2010, she played the titular role of Husan Ara in TV One's Husan Ara Kaun, followed by another role in A-Plus TV's drama Bichday Toh Ahsaas Hua in next year. In 2014, she was honoured with Best Actress Award at 3rd Delhi International Film Festival, for her out of the box performance in psychological thriller film Hotal. In 2016, she announced her first project as a director, which was titled Oscar. The same year she played a role of Naseem Dilruba for TV One in the drama Mein Sitara, which was nominated for Lux Style Awards. In addition, she played a character in the television series Naagin. She appeared as a film star in the 2019 drama film Baaji, which proved to be a box office success.

She has announced to enter politics and that she will join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), the party in power in Pakistan.

Bollywood career

Meera did her first movie in India, named Nazar which had her as the first Pakistani actress to be seen in India like Begum Para, as well as it was the beginning of the India Pakistan peace talks. Nazar was a film directed by Soni Razdan and it was the first Indo-Pakistani joint movie venture in 50 years. Her second movie was Kasak starring Lucky Ali. Although Kasak failed critically and commercially, Meera still kept working in Bollywood. Her third film Paanch Ghantey Mien Paanch Crore was an average grosser at the box office. The film was not screened for press and critics as the director Faisal Saif wanted to show the film directly to the audience. The film managed a decent opening of 50% with its limited cinema release. However, The Times of India listed the film in Bollywood's Top 10 Bold Films category of 2012.

Personal life

In 2009, a Faisalabad-based businessman Sheikh Attiq-ur-Rehman claimed that he and Meera were married in 2007. Meera denied that marriage and filed a case against him for making a false claim. But in 2018, a Lahore family court declared Meera to be the wife of Attiq-ur-Rehman by validating the marriage certificate and honeymoon pictures.

In 2011, Meera accused Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt of physically abusing her while she was filming Nazar in 2005, and also claimed that she had been in a romantic relationship with him. Bhatt and his wife Soni Razdan denied the allegations, threatening her with legal action on charges of defamation.

Filmography

Television

Awards and recognition

References

References

1. S.D. Sharma. (2005). "Meera wants liberal visa regime". The Tribune.
2. (22 November 2017). "Meera: The actress in a legal row to prove she is not married". BBC News.
3. Qamar, Saadia. (11 February 2012). "Meera: 'I am leaving Lollywood'". Tribune Express.
4. (18 April 2008). "Premiere of Pakistani celluloid revenge saga 'Salakhain' held in Mumbai". The Indian.
5. (28 February 2005). "No ban on Meera, other actors: PM". Daily Times.
6. Masood, Salman. (27 March 2005). "Kiss a Hindu? Just Imagine. Islamists did, with outrage.".
7. "Ashmit Patel reveals the Pakistan government rejected his visa application due to his intimate scene with Meera: "It was clearly a message that DON'T kiss our lady"".
8. (25 April 2005). ""Personally, I don't like too much boldness"".
9. (4 October 2010). "Meera proclaims herself a champion of women's rights".
10. "Meera to Appear in Drama "Bichray Tau Ehsas Hua"".
11. (30 December 2014). "Meera bags 'Best Actress' award for Hotal". HIP.
12. Desk, Entertainment. (8 January 2015). "Meera's film 'Hotal' set for nationwide release in March 2015". Dawn.
13. (29 February 2016). "Meera turns director with 'Oscar' – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune.
14. (April 2016). "Mein Sitara: Serial on Lollywood's golden era a dark horse among Pakistani dramas".
15. "Lux Style Awards 2017 nominations revealed".
16. (9 March 2019). "Meera stuns in first look of upcoming film 'Baaji'".
17. (5 August 2019). "Meera's 'Baaji' is a box office success".
18. "Baaji continues to shine at the local box office".
19. "'Heartbroken' Meera announces to join PTI".
20. Nijher, Jaspreet. (20 August 2011). "I'll welcome Meera with open arms: Mahesh Bhatt". [[The Times of India]].
21. Shukla, Pankaj. "Meera's charisma & Lucky's musical notes fail". SmasHits.com.
22. (18 December 2012). "Top 10 Bollywood's hottest scenes of 2012". The Times of India.
23. (28 May 2018). "Meera married to Attiqueur Rehman, judge rules".
24. (22 November 2017). "Meera: The actress in a legal row to prove she's unmarried". BBC News.
25. (28 May 2018). "A Lahore court just declared that Meera has been married all along".
26. (2011-05-12). "Meera calls Bhatt her lover".
27. "Meera's Film Bhadaas". The Times of India.
28. (4 April 2016). "Riding the wave of revival – The Express Tribune".
29. (2017-11-13). "Islamic Exorcist Review: A New Perspective on Exorcism Films".
30. (28 July 2017). "Raaz-E-Sheitaan - Latest News, Videos, Photos - Bollywood Hungama". [[Bollywood Hungama]].
31. tabloid!, Usman Ghafoor, Special to. (11 December 2017). "Meera's look from 'Aks' finally revealed". Gulf News.
32. (17 August 2016). "'Shor Sharaba' enters post-production – The Express Tribune".
33. Haq, Irfan Ul. (27 September 2018). "Meera says she's playing the lead role in Saqib Malik's Baaji". Images.
34. (29 February 2016). "Meera turns director with 'Oscar' – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune.