Acclaimed Pakistani actress Nadia Jamil recently disclosed the reason she declined an offer from Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan to star in the 2004 blockbuster “Veer-Zaara.”
During a special Ramadan broadcast, Jamil discussed the difficult choices she made early in her career. She revealed that she turned down the role primarily to care for her newborn son. At the time the offer was made, negotiations were nearly complete; however, her son was only a few months old and she felt it was crucial to prioritize motherhood.
While her family encouraged her to seize the opportunity and offered their full support, Nadia Jamil chose to step away from the project. “I was advised that turning down such a prestigious movie could hurt my career,” she noted, “but I decided to spend that time with my child instead.” The role offered to Nadia Jamil was that of the Pakistani lawyer, Saamiya Siddiqui. After she declined, the part was famously played by Rani Mukerji. Directed by Yash Chopra, Veer-Zaara went on to become a cinematic classic, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta in the lead roles.
Earlier this year, Jamil revealed she had been the victim of workplace harassment at the hands of a ‘very famous director’. Sitting across actor-model Iffat Omar, on her ‘Say It All’ podcast, Nadia Jamil disclosed that she was harassed by a very famous director, whom she is not ready to name as yet. “Yes, I was harassed in the industry, by a very famous director,” she shared with the host.
The ‘Damsa’ actor mentioned that she has been very conscious of the projects she has been opting for lately, just to avoid putting herself in a similar situation again, as it is not worth it.