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Mawra Hocane shared her thoughts on the unprecedented success of Sanam Teri Kasam nine years after its release, attributing the film’s newfound popularity to a stroke of marital luck.

The 2016 romantic drama, which initially struggled at the box office, has shattered records within just a week of its re-release in India. The re-release and subsequent success coincided with Hocane’s marriage to Ameer Gilani.

In a candid conversation with Faridoon Shahryar, Hocane expressed gratitude for the overwhelming love she is receiving from India and noted that while she had always received love from Indian audiences, it had now increased exponentially.

A stroke of marital luck

When asked about the re-release’s unprecedented success, Hocane credited her husband for her stroke of good luck.

“To be honest, if the film waited nine years to do these numbers, then it’s my husband bringing in the luck because the only thing that has changed is that. The film was always there. All the work was there. But I truly, truly feel it’s the marital luck.”

Speaking to Shahryar earlier, Hocane’s co-star, Harshvardhan Rane, had also weighed in on the film’s resurgence, using the numbers as a special way to congratulate her on her wedding. He even apologised for distancing himself after the film flopped, revealing that the disappointment had pushed him to isolate himself.

Hocane dismissed the need for any apologies, recalling how everyone involved had poured their hearts into the project.

“There is no need to apologise because I remember how hard everyone worked. So when the film didn’t do well, everyone went into a cocoon. Even for me, it was very heartbreaking, a soul-shattering experience. I was in India for 10 months, just 22 years old, away from my family. When something you exhaust yourself working on doesn’t succeed, it’s heartbreaking.

“I really thought the actor in me had died,” she admitted. It took the Neem actor’s family and friends to encourage her to take on more projects in Pakistan for her to rebuild her confidence.

Reflecting on her powerful performance as Saru in Sanam Teri Kasam, Hocane credited the film’s success to teamwork. “My job was to be on set on time, be focused, and absorb as much as I could. I knew too many people were investing in me, trusting me to do this right, so I had to come through. The rest of everything that has happened, I didn’t do it. The universe did it. It was magic.”

On Sanam Teri Kasam 2

With the announcement of Sanam Teri Kasam 2, fans have been pushing for Hocane to return, despite her character’s tragic fate in the original film. Responding to the buzz, she expressed her hopes for the film’s producer, Deepak Mukut, to reap even greater success.

“If it is possible, I would love to do it. If not, I will hold nothing in my heart because with the kind of love Sanam Teri Kasam is getting after nine years, there is no room for complaints. This itself is a miracle.”

On Vidya Balan’s compliment

Hocane was also delighted to receive praise from actor Vidya Balan, who said, “Mawra, ap kamal ho,” after watching the film in the cinema.

“My brother sent her comment to me. And my husband’s name is Ameer Kamal Gilani, so we were joking about how ‘Kamal’ is now part of my surname!” she laughed. “But seriously, to be complimented by someone as talented as Vidya Balan is an honour.”

On lost opportunities in Bollywood

Interestingly, Shahryar revealed that Hocane had signed a three-film deal in India after Sanam Teri Kasam, but the projects did not materialise after Sanam Teri Kasam’s underwhelming performance at the box office.

“You know, it’s so funny that you ask me this today because when Sanam Teri Kasam didn’t do well, I had to step out of all the other films I was working on. I decided I would never speak about it. When you are unable to do a project, that project belongs to the people who are part of it. So, you brought it up but I’m not going to speak any further about it,” she said.

Just days after tying the knot with Gilani in a dreamy wedding, Hocane’s Bollywood debut film, which originally hit cinemas in 2016, surpassed its initial lifetime earnings.

According to The Indian Express, Sanam Teri Kasam, directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, raked in an impressive INR 30 to 32.5 million (approximately Rs96–104 million) on its fourth-day post-re-release, bringing its total earnings to INR 185 million (approximately Rs595 million).

This is more than double its original theatrical run, where it garnered only INR 90 million (approximately Rs289 million). On Monday, when collections typically drop, Sanam Teri Kasam outperformed competing releases. It raked in twice the combined earnings of Badass Ravikumar (starring Himesh Reshammiya) and Loveyapa (featuring Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor), which earned just INR 11.6 million (approximately Rs37 million) collectively.