Are Mahira's scenes in Raees getting axed?

Fawad Khan-starrer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Dear Zindagi (that featured Ali Zafar in a small role) were both released without major cuts to the Pakistani actors' roles, but will Mahira Khan enjoy the same luck in Raees?

According to one report in Mumbai Mirror, that might not be the case.

The report cites a source close to the film's development as saying that one song and an introduction scene remained to be shot and Mahira Khan is not being flown back for them.

Also read: Farah Khan doesn't think Bollywood needs Pakistani actors

Mahira has a small role as the wife of Shah Rukh Khan's character, a bootlegger named Raees. But her presence was enough for MNS to threaten consequences to the producer.

The source said, “Mahira is an attractive and popular Pakistani actress and Raees is her big-ticket Bollywood launch. But while she does play Shah Rukh’s love interest, it is not really a romantic film."

"Her role is like Parveen Babi’s in Yash Chopra’s 1975 crime-drama Deewaar. That one revolved around two warring brothers, Vijay and Ravi, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor. This one revolves around the conflict between Shah Rukh Khan who plays a bootlegger, Raees Alam, and ACP Ghulam Patel enacted by Nawaz (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who is on his trail. So, it wasn’t difficult to trim her role which has been done with the intention of not hurting public sentiment.".

Shah Rukh Khan is currently shooting his introduction scene alone in Mumbai and will wrap up all his portions in two-three days.