logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2018
23m 39s

Actor - Mahira Khan

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In culturally conservative, male dominated Pakistan, can an actress be an agent of change? Stephen Sackur speaks to the country's biggest female movie star Mahira Khan. Women in the movie industry have taken the lead in a movement for equality, respect and an end to abusive male behaviour. The mantra #MeToo has become a cultural phenomenon in the United States but how far can it reach?

(Photo: Pakistani actress Mahira Khan at the Beirut International Awards Festivals (BIAF), 2017. Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images)

Up next
Oct 8
Duma Boko, President of Botswana: the world will listen to Africa
The world will have to listen to AfricaWaihiga Mwaura speaks to Botswana’s President Duma Boko about his plans to reinvigorate the economy, taking greater control of the country’s diamond reserves, but also diversifying its mining and other sectors. Currently facing hefty tariffs ... Show More
22m 59s
Oct 6
Bjorn Borg: I’ve always been a private person
Born in 1956 in the Swedish capital, Borg’s lifelong association with tennis began when his father won a full-size racket at a local table tennis tournament, which he gave to the young Borg.By the age of 14, he had joined the professional tennis circuit, and just a few years late ... Show More
22m 59s
Sep 30
Chris Wright, US Energy Secretary: The problem with climate alarmism
Justin Rowlatt speaks to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright about his belief that the threat from climate change is exaggerated. It is a view shared by the American President, Donald Trump, and one that has seen subsidies to the renewable energy industry, worth billions of dollars, ... Show More
22m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Yiman Wang, "To Be an Actress: Labor and Performance in Anna May Wong's Cross-Media World" (U California Press, 2024)
Between 1919 and 1961, pioneering Chinese American actress Anna May Wong established an enduring legacy that encompassed cinema, theatre, radio, and American television. Born in Los Angeles, yet with her US citizenship scrutinised due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, Wong—a defiant ... Show More
1 h
Jun 2017
William Elison, et.al. “Amar Akbar Anthony: Bollywood, Brotherhood, and the Nation” (Harvard UP, 2016)
Amar Akbar Anthony is a film like no other. When you see it you cannot forget it. Filled with music, comedy, drama, and love it captures audiences in multiple ways. But what can we learn from a deeper look at this classic of Hindi cinema? William Elison, Assistant Professor at Un ... Show More
1h 13m
Apr 2023
Ep336 - Anupam Kher | Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly
Anupam Kher visits Google to discuss his journey, his career, and how he continues to give back. Best known for his prolific career in Indian and International cinema, Anupam Kher has appeared in over 500 films and 100 plays. He is a recipient of the IIFA Award for Outstanding Ac ... Show More
1h 2m
May 2021
What is Bollywood?
What is Bollywood? Thanks for asking! If you’re a Westerner, you’ve almost certainly heard of Bollywood, but there’s also a decent chance you’ve never actually watched a Bollywood film! If Hollywood is the stronghold of American cinema, Bollywood is an even more generic term used ... Show More
4m 44s
Jul 2024
Behind a backlash to feminism in South Korea
A local politician’s comments connecting a rise in male suicide attempts to women being in the workforce is part of a broader backlash to a feminist awakening in South Korea. The fight against rampant sexism and gender-based violence includes the growing 4B movement, which calls ... Show More
20m 2s
May 2025
Mayukh Sen, "Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star" (Norton, 2025)
In 2022, Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. But she wasn’t the first actress of Asian origin to be nominated. In 1935, Merle Oberon was nominated for Best Actress for the role of Kitty Vane in The Dark Angel, only her second fi ... Show More
55m 15s
Sep 2024
Salma Siddique, "Evacuee Cinema: Bombay and Lahore in Partition Transit, 1940–1960" (Cambridge UP, 2022)
Evacuee Cinema: Bombay and Lahore in Partition Transit, 1940–1960 (Cambridge UP, 2022) offers a new history of the partition. Based on previously unexamined archives and rare films, it investigates key questions around film production, partition and the provenance of the nation i ... Show More
1h 6m
Apr 2025
Desi Jewel Chor | Jaideep Ahlawat
Discover the inspiring journey of Jaideep Ahlawat, the versatile Indian actor known for Paatal Lok and Gangs of Wasseypur, as we unveil lesser-known facets of his life!  From his early dream of joining the Indian Army (he attempted SSB interviews multiple times!) to pivoting towa ... Show More
45m 15s
Aug 2024
Farhan Akhtar on Alpha Male, Patriarchy, Bollywood, ZNMD Sequel, SRK & DON 3 | FO238 Raj Shamani
Order 'Build, Don't Talk' (in English) here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order 'Build Don't Talk' (in Hindi) here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/4wZISO0⁠⁠⁠⁠ Disclaimer: This episode is intended solely for educational purposes and opinions shared by the guest ... Show More
1h 12m