A star in the making: Lehar Khan’s dreams come true with Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor & Shah Rukh Khan

At only 24 years old, actress Lehar Khan has already achieved incredible milestones, sharing the silver screen with Bollywood's biggest stars. From working with Ranbir Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt in the blockbuster ‘Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva’ to sharing screen space with megastar Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan, she is one of the most promising young talents in Bollywood, destined to leave a lasting impact.

Yes, you read that right. The Delhi-born and brought-up actress is set to captivate audiences once again as she joins forces with the megastar Shah Rukh Khan in the highly-anticipated Bollywood film ‘Jawan,’ directed by Atlee. Lehar is playing one of the women warriors in SRK’s team in ‘Jawan’. “You can see me with a sniper, wearing a hoodie,” she said.

 

A film graduate from Usha Gandhi Pravin College in Mumbai, Lehar started her acting journey at the tender age of 11. A terrific dancer, her first brush with a camera happened when she took part in a dance reality show ‘Kids Dhoom’. Then, she acted in a short film, titled ‘Destiny’. Soon, Lehar was selected to work with award-winning director Neela Madhab Panda on ‘Jalpari’ (2012). It’s been 11 years since she made her debut in Bollywood but till today she remembers how she became a celebrity overnight in the school after the release of ‘Jalpari’.

“I was that “actor girl" in school. I remember kids from nursery classes would make a queue near the basketball court and wait for me to finish playing. They would even take my autograph,” she smiled. On ‘Jalpari’, her remarkable acting prowess caught the attention of actress Tannishtha Chatterjee. It was Tannishtha, who referred my name to director Leena Yadav for ‘Parched’. “Parched was one of the most blissful experiences of my life to date. I was old enough to understand the love and passion that goes into making a film. The environment on set was so healthy and positive that I fell in love with acting and the whole process of filming. Watching actors like Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla and Sayani Gupta perform changed so much within me. It was the time when the acting bug bit me hard,” she said. Her parents have been very supportive and didn’t waste any time to shift to Mumbai. Lehar also received rave reviews for her powerful performance as Rani in the supernatural horror series ‘Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya’ alongside Tisca Chopra and Saurabh Shukla.

Lehar remembered how Ayan Mukherji, director of ‘Brahmastra’ called her by name on the very first meeting. “I had fangirl moments while working with Ranbir Kapoor,” she said. In fact, it was on the set of ‘Brahmastra’ that Lehar learned Shah Rukh would be seen playing the character of a scientist in the fantasy adventure film. “Our characters don’t meet in the film, and I didn’t get a chance to interact with SRK. I thought my dream to meet SRK would never be fulfilled,” she said. However, as luck would have it in her next film ‘Jawan’, she could hardly imagine that she will share the frame with Shah Rukh.

“I was directly called for a meeting with Atlee sir at the Red Chillies Entertainment office. We met for a brief moment. Then, Mukesh (casting director Mukhesh Chhabra) sir’s team got in touch for an audition. It was Mukhesh sir who informed me that I was selected for Jawan. I couldn’t believe it honestly. The moment the call finished, I screamed, “I am going to work with SRK,” she said.

Lehar also recalled how SRK organized a special screening of ‘Brahmastra’ when they were shooting in Chennai for ‘Jawan’. “It was there when I told him that I am in the film, too, he said yeah? In fact, I remember showing him my 0.5-second shot in the trailer, and remember him taking a screenshot of my shot on the phone. Even though it sounds like a small conversation, for me it was a journey of three years, which I thought I wouldn't get a chance to meet him, to bagging a film with him. I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Lehar said.

1. Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid

Character - Shreya

2. Parched

Character - Janaki

3. Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva

Character name - Raveena

Power - shield called “Gajastra” with power of 100 elephants

4. Dahan

Character - Rani

5. Jawan not revealed

6. Destiny (short film)

Character - Angel

7. Khol Do (short film)

Character - Sakina

8. Confession of an Indian Teenager

Character - Mickey