Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane: ‘Heard at my wedding reception that Vidya Balan praised me’

Mawra Hocane. Pics/Instagram, Sameer Markande

Over the past three weeks, one question has puzzled the industry - how has an obscure 2016 film gone on to make Rs 65 crore on its re-release? That's the first thing we ask Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane when we call the Sanam Teri Kasam star. "It re-released around the time I was getting married. When my social media blew up, I thought it's just wedding wishes," she laughs. "I've been receiving love for it all along. So, it'd surprise me that if I was getting so much love, how did the film not work?"

(From left) Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane in the film

The success of the Harshvardhan Rane and Hocane-starrer has sparked murmurs of a sequel. Considering Hocane's character Saru was at the heart of the love story, would she headline the second instalment? "The producer reached out to me for the second part. I've not read the script yet, it's in my inbox. I can't say whether I'll do it. But if they do make a part two, whether I'm in it or not, I hope it does really well. Saru is an author-backed character. That was the reason I said yes to the film because back then, women characters weren't so meaty," she says.

Vidya Balan

After the 2016 Uri attack, the Indian film industry stopped collaborating with Pakistani artistes. A lot of hurdles would have to be crossed before Hocane is cast in the sequel. "We all grew up watching Bollywood films. I'd feel Salman Khan is as much our superstar as India's because we also watched all his films, be it Andaz Apna Apna [1994] or Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [1999]. Our emotional connection is because of not just Bollywood, but also art. I think the producers or the audiences don't discriminate, but the technical issues hamper the process [of collaborating]."

After Sanam Teri Kasam's re-release, Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan put up posts praising Hocane's acting. "Mr Bachchan is a legend and he saw my movie! It will always be a cherished feeling. Vidya-ji has my heart. She did women-oriented roles when no one was doing them. It was my wedding reception and my husband [Ameer Gilani] told me that Vidya-ji has praised me. I was over the moon. They say, waqt se pehle aur naseeb se zyada kuch nahin milta. It has stood true for Sanam Teri Kasam."