What would you do if a Bollywood legend like Raj Kapoor offered you a role in his film?  For veteran actress Laila Zuberi, the answer was simple: stay true to Pakistan. 

 

Appearing as a guest on  Tabish Hashmi’s Hasna Mana Hai, Laila revealed a significant offer she once received and declined from Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor.

 

One of the audience members asked, “You have done many famous and hit dramas, Mashallah. Have you ever received an opportunity or an offer from another country, and you chose Pakistan over that?”

 

To this, Laila replied, “Yes, absolutely, something like that happened once. We were invited to the Sharjah Cup, where we met Raj Kapoor Sahab, and he offered me a role in his film. 

 

"We even had some pictures taken, and he asked me for an autograph. He said they show our dramas at his Pune Academy for teaching purposes. It was a very proud moment for me, but I thought that I should work for Pakistan.”

 

In the same conversation, the Jafaa actress shared a surprising and slightly unsettling experience with an overly excited fan.

 

“Another time, a fan followed me around so much that she said, 'I want to wash your feet,' and she was that persistent. One day, she came to me and said her only wish was for me to give her the water I used to wash my feet so she could drink it. I was quite disgusted by the thought and couldn’t bring myself to do it,” Laila shared.

 

The host, Tabish Hashmi, asked, “I heard that beggars have often interacted with you in life. Once, when you were playing the role of a gypsy in a drama, a group of nomads approached us. Where was this?”

 

Laila Zuberi also spoke about her immersive acting experiences, including playing a nomadic girl in the drama Khak Ja.

“This wasn’t on set. We were shooting a drama called Khak Ja in Quetta. I was playing the character of a nomadic girl wearing tattered clothes and looking rugged. We were shooting on the streets, and many beggars gathered around us. The producer asked them to move because the shoot was in progress. The beggars replied, ‘You’re making something for her. Why not make something for us too?’” she explained.

 

Laila Zuberi starred in dramas such as  Aabroo, Chhaon,  Koshish, Guest House, Durr-e Shehwar,  Muhabbat Gumshuda Meri, and  Pagal Khana, and is currently starring in Jafaa.