Harshvardhan Rane declines Sanam Teri Kasam 2 after Mawra Hocane condemns Operation Sindoor: 'If there is any...'

The romantic tragedy Sanam Teri Kasam, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane, was a commercial flop upon its release in 2016, grossing only Rs 9 crore during its initial theatrical run. However, upon its re-release in February earlier this year, the film saw enormous love from the audiences and collected over Rs 40 crore gross at the domestic box office. As Sanam Teri Kasam went on to become the highest grossing re-release film in India, the makers announced its sequel.

Howver, amid the ongoing escalations between India and Pakistan now, Harshvardhan Rane has now decided to step down from the sequel to the film if the producers go ahead with the same cast. Taking to his Instagram Stories on Saturday, the Haseen Dillruba actor wrote, "While I am grateful for the experience however as things stand, and after reading the direct comments made about my country, I have made a decision to respectfully decline to be a part of Sanam Teri Kasam part 2 if there is any possibility of the previous cast being repeated." He referred to Mawra Hocane's statement against India after Operation Sindoor.

As a reponse to the Pahalgam terrorist attacks on April 22, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, a series of targeted strikes on nine terrorist camps within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the wee hours on May 7. Mawra Hocane had condemned Operation Sindoor, calling it India's "cowardly attack" on Pakistan as she took to her X (formerly Twitter) account and wrote, "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 #PakistanZindabad."

Apart from Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane, Sanam Teri Kasam also starred Manish Chaudhari, Murli Sharma, Sudesh Berry, Shraddha Das, Vijay Raaz, Rushad Rana and Anurag Sinha among others in pivotal roles. The film was written and directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru.

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