Mawra Hocane opens up about relationship status, importance of reading nikkahnama

Actor spoke candidly about how reading the marriage contract is a right

Renowned Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane recently had an insightful conversation with Fuchsia Magazine, where she spoke about a plethora of topics. The actor opened up about her relationship status, the importance of reading the nikkahnama (marriage contract) and the challenging character she played in her upcoming drama series, Nauroz.

When asked about her relationship status, she humorously responded that it would not remain a secret. The actor stated, "It's impossible that I find someone and the world does not know...Whenever I find someone, you will know. The world will know. My Instagram is for everyone...God willing, when the time is right, and the process is there, the world will know."

Delving into the significance of the nikkahnama, Mawra emphasised the importance of understanding its clauses. While she revealed that she is currently single and hasn't found anyone with whom she would sign a nikkahnama, she explained that her family highly values a thorough reading of the contract. Mawra stated that, just like her parents did during sister Urwa Hocane's marriage, she believes in diligently reading and discussing the nikkahnama with her future partner.

"It's your life, you have to spend it," said Mawra. "You must know the terms on which you're joining someone else's life. I'm not diminishing the value of the nikkahnama, but just like you sign a contract for a project, you read the smallest clauses. You're in agreement with the other party, that is when the contract is signed."

Coming from a self-professed "privileged" background, Mawra highlighted her parents' emphasis on reading the nikkahnama. She expressed that it is natural for her to read all contracts, including her nikkahnama, and discuss it with her partner, recognising the equal importance for both parties involved.

The Daasi actor stated, "I come from a place of privilege, my parents have been like that. My mom has always told us that whenever you get married - even when Urwa was getting married - everyone reads the nikkahnama...I think it's a very natural thing for me, how I read all my contracts, I will read my nikkahnama, I will discuss it with my partner. I don't think it's only my right, I think it would also be his. It's equally important for both."

Mawra also highlighted the challenges she faced while portraying the character of Rishtina in Nauroz. When questioned about the scene where her character scavenges for food, Mawra revealed that it was a real experience. She explained, "It happened, it was real. I can't explain Nauroz right now because I don't know who I was while performing Rishtina."

Mawra attributed her hazy recollection of the character and the process to the physical toll it took on her. To portray a young girl convincingly, she intentionally lost weight, resulting in a six-kilogram weight loss. The physical transformation and caloric deficit may have contributed to her limited memory of the role. “I lost a lot of weight because I knew I was playing a very young girl. I was underweight. I lost six kilogrammes, maybe that’s why I don’t remember much of it. Because I wasn’t eating anything except the necessary. I was on a calorie deficit," recalled the star.

Voicing her thoughts on how the character contributed to shaping her understanding of the world, Mawra shared that it has grounded her and altered her perspective on life. She recounted a scene where her character visits a food vendor catering to the needy. The Qissa Meherbano Ka star explained how people hesitated to interact with her during the scene, giving her a glimpse into the daily struggles faced by those in need. She stated, "People were [waving] me away because they didn’t want me to touch them, so I wondered how a person who looks like that must feel."

Addressing the concept of love and fantasies, Mawra expressed her view that there is nothing wrong with love and affection. However, she noted that the idea of not putting in any effort and expecting someone to come as a saviour is rather unrealistic, particularly in our society. Mawra believes that, especially among girls, such notions have prevailed for a long time.

"There's nothing wrong with love and affection, according to my point of view. However, we don't even put in any effort and a prince comes to save us is naive and silly. I think, for a very long time, especially in our society, girls think like this," said the star candidly.

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