ISLAMABAD- Pakistani actor Mahira Khan, who made her Bollywood debut withShah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees last year, says the Hindi film industry wasnever her aim.

Raees released in January 2017, just a few months after bilateral tensionsintensified between India and Pakistan over the September 18, 2016 Uriattack that left 19 Indian soldiers dead and the September 28 surgicalstrikes by India on Pakistan terror camps.

Mahira spoke about the impact of the tensions on the countries’ filmindustries on HARDtalk on BBC World News.

Raees did not release in Pakistan. And Mahira was not allowed to promotethe film in India as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena gave an ultimatum toPakistani artistes to leave the country and to keep away from its showbiz.

“At that time I was angry. I was sad and angry and there were moments ofdisappointment and just hurt, you know. Now I’ve come to a place where Ibelieve that anger doesn’t really make me a better actor. It doesn’t doanything for me as a person, so I’ve let go of that, because at that time Iwas in the mix of it,” said Mahira.

Didn’t it stall her career in a way? “Bollywood was never really the aimactually. I mean sure you could argue that I could have done more filmsthere, for sure I could have. But right after Raees I had already startedworking on (Pakistani film) Verna, even before all of this happened. Myfocus was always Pakistan,” she said.

She said people may perceive that it was a “big jolt” to her career — andit was — but she has moved on. “Currently I just feel it’s just somethingelse to be working and be part of this movement of the film industry (inPakistan) at the moment. Because how I look at it, is that 20 years fromnow when either my son or kids from today want to become actors, we wouldhave set this industry for them, which they won’t have to struggle somuch,” added the 33-year-old actress, who has a son named Azlaan.