Actor Mahira Khan marked 15 years of her hit drama Humsafar with a heartwarming video on Instagram on Friday.
The video combines two special moments from her career: her twirling as Khirad in the iconic 2011 drama, and her twirling as Bilqees Bano in her new show Mitti De Baway which premiered this month around the same time of year that Humsafar first aired 15 years ago.
Mahira wrote a heartfelt message to her fans, calling them her “dearest, my most precious Humsafars” and saying it had been “15 years of loving and twirling in that love.”
“15 years…. Of surrendering to life, to the characters I picked and those that were picked for me. It is surreal to have Mitti De Baway air on the same day that Humsafar was aired that many years ago. And even though so much has changed, all of you have remained the same for me. My constants. My backbone and my strength. From Khirad to Bilo… I am filled with nothing but shukr. Here’s to all of you… here’s to a lifetime of being each other’s humsafars, may there never be judaai. May there never be bewafaai,” she wrote.
This is not the first time Mahira has celebrated the show’s anniversary with her fans. For its 10th anniversary, she held a surprise question-and-answer session on X, then called Twitter.
Humsafar, based on a novel by Farhat Ishtiaq, follows two cousins, Khirad and Ashar, played by Fawad Khan, in an arranged marriage who face separation and heartbreak before reuniting.
The show had a lasting impact on its lead actors. Mahira’s portrayal of the strong-headed Khirad made her one of Pakistan’s most loved actors, and she went on to make her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Raees.
Fawad Khan became a star across the border as well, appearing in Hindi films including Khoobsurat, Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Director Sarmad Khoosat’s work on the show helped establish him as one of Pakistan’s most respected creators, and he later directed films such as Manto, Zindagi Tamasha and, more recently, Lali.
Fifteen years on, Mahira is drawing praise again with Mitti De Baway. Set in Punjab, the drama stars her alongside Wahaj Ali and has received strong reviews after just a couple of episodes.
Earlier this month, Mahira, 41, revealed she is expecting her second child during her appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival.
She is also the mother of 17-year-old Azlan.
