Actor Harshvardhan Rane has announced that he will not be a part of the Sanam Teri Kasam sequel if Mawra Hocane, his Pakistani co-star from the original film, reprises her role. The actor cited Hocane’s recent social media post condemning India’s Operation Sindoor as the reason for his decision.
“After reading the direct comments made about my country, I have made a decision to respectfully decline to be part of Sanam Teri Kasam Part 2 if there is any possibility of the previous cast being repeated,” Rane wrote in an Instagram story on Saturday. He also shared a screenshot of Hocane’s post from X (formerly Twitter), which called India’s May 7 airstrikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan a “cowardly attack.”
Hocane’s post read, “Strongly condemn India’s cowardly attack on Pakistan. Innocent civilians have lost their lives… May Allah protect us all… may sense prevail. Ya Allah ho Ya Hafizo.”
Reacting to her comments, Rane added, “I respect all artists and humans of this country, that country, Kenya and even Mars, but this kind of derogatory remarks about my country by anyone is unpardonable. Am okay with losing out on followers on Instagram, but won’t allow anyone to walk over the pride and upbringing. Standing by your country is good, but disrespectful, hateful remarks about other country is not.”
Sanam Teri Kasam, directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, was released on February 5, 2016, and starred Rane as Inder, a reclusive ex-convict, and Hocane as Saru, a reserved librarian. Their tragic love story struck a chord with audiences during its re-release in February 2025, earning nearly ₹50 crore at the domestic box office despite its original run being commercially underwhelming.
With the sequel reportedly in early development, the casting decisions may now take a significant turn given Rane’s firm stance.
Meanwhile, Harshvardhan Rane is set to appear next in Milap Zaveri’s musical drama Deewaniyat, expected to release later this year.
