How Mawra Hocane became Saru in 'Sanam Teri Kasam'

Actor on playing a Telugu character

In an interview with Filmfare, Mawra Hocane shared how she was able to play a Telugu girl in her Bollywood debut, Sanam Teri Kasam. "Of course, I would give the entire credit to my directors because my female director, Radhika [Rao] ji, was closely in touch with those roots," Mawra said. "Vinay [Sapru] sir and Radhika ma'am taught me everything about my character. I was just there like a sponge absorbing every instruction, every direction. I just wanted to absorb it all and try to be Saru."

However, Saru had a long-lasting impact on Mawra's personal life. "Through the process, I realised I had become more Saru than I was Mawra, especially when I went back home. I couldn't understand who I was. Was I Saru or Mawra? I think it took me about a year to come back to my own," the 32-year-old actor said.

It seems that it was harder for Mawra to shed Saru's layers than it was for her to transform into the character. "Sometimes, you tend to work so strenuously without realising what you are doing to yourself. So, all the character traits that I had acquired from Saru, it took me a very long time to let go of them. I just very sincerely wanted to absorb everything Radhika ma'am and Vinay sir were telling me," she maintained.

Looking back

Sanam Teri Kasam (2016), which initially struggled at the box office, made a return to theatres this year after a significant following developed on OTT platforms. Since its re-release earlier in February, the romance film has been performing well in Indian theatres and has become the country's highest-grossing re-released film. Many Bollywood greats lauded the film's success, including Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Vidya Balan.

The film's newfound success has kicked the crew's vigour back in place, with all of them expressing gratitude for the unexpected outcome. When asked in an interview with Filmfare why they chose to re-release the film, the directors shared that they were no strangers to the love it had been receiving on social media over the years.

"In these nine years, there wasn't a single moment when we were not connected with our audience and the fans of this film. They were following us on social media and constantly asking us to re-release the film," Vinay said.

"Radhika and I make cinema for the youth and that is our world. We make love stories and what better period than Valentine's? So Sanam Teri Kasam, the tale of eternal love and Valentine's goes very well. That's the correct period to release it," he added.

Recalling the casting process, Radhika shared why Mawra was picked in a pool of two hundred girls. "Mawra would cry the best and look the best when she was crying," Radhika said. "She has the purest soul. She is one of the nicest human beings we have ever met, yet. What she shows is what she is. She carries her heart on her sleeve. We wanted a girl who was like a gust of wind."

The combination of Mawra's onscreen presence and personality is what made her a perfect fit in both the film and the crew. "Mawra was such a good girl and a good actress. So we both fell in love with her and that shows on the screen. We called her Mavu, the Marvellous," Radhika said.

Slated for 2026, a sequel for Sanam Teri Kasam was announced sometime before this staggering achievement at the box office. Whether or not Mawra will return to the franchise remains to be seen.