Farhan Akhtar, who plays Zaira Wasim's onscreen father in upcoming film The Sky Is Pink, talked about her decision to retire from films, which she announced in July. In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Farhan Akhtar said that though every individual has a right to what they want to do with their life, he hopes that Zaira 'changes her mind.' The actor told Mumbai Mirror: "Every individual has the right to decide what they want to do with their life and it's not for us to say if that's right or wrong. But purely as someone who's worked with her, I hope Zaira changes her mind." He also said that he's not had a chance to speak with Zaira after she announced she's quitting films.
In July, Zaira Wasim shared a lengthy post on social media announcing her exit from film saying that it "damaged her relationship with Allah." She wrote, "I am not truly happy with this identity i.e my line of work... it was only for me to realise that though I may fit here perfectly, I do not belong here. This field indeed brought a lot of love, support, and applause my way, but what it also did was to lead me to a path of ignorance, as I silently and unconsciously transitioned out of imaan (faith)... my relationship with my religion was threatened."
Zaira Wasim did not even attend the world premiere of The Sky Is Pink at the Toronto International Film Festival with her co-stars Farhan, Priyanka Chopra and Rohan Saraf.
The Sky Is Pink, directed by Shonali Bose, will be Zaira's last onscreen appearance. She debuted in Bollywood with 2016 film Dangal, for which she won a Special Mention Nation Award. She followed it up with Secret Superstar, which received critical acclaim.
The Sky Is Pink releases in India on October 11. The film is jointly produced by Priyanka Chopra, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala.
