Harshvardhan Rane stirs feud with Hocane for publicity

In the long and undistinguished annals of Bollywood mediocrity, Harshvardhan Rane holds a curious place. Neither a major star nor a complete unknown, he has hovered on the periphery of stardom for nearly a decade.

Despite having almost exclusively delivered flops, he has somehow managed to stay in the news. His latest brush with relevance comes via an unnecessary controversy, wrapped in nationalistic chest-thumping and petty social media drama.

Mawra Hocanegetty images

It all began with the inexplicable resurrection of Sanam Teri Kasam, a forgettable romantic drama from 2016 that barely made a dent upon its original release. Dismissed by critics and largely ignored by audiences, it faded into obscurity. But in a bizarre twist, the film found surprising traction when it was re-released in 2025. Why? No one knows – not even the most seasoned industry watchers. Perhaps it was nostalgia, curiosity, or just sheer cinematic masochism. Despite being freely available on YouTube for years, it managed to draw audiences and became moderately successful. Let’s be clear though: it is still not a good film.

What it did do, however, was give renewed attention to an actor who should have been long forgotten by Bollywood. Unsurprisingly, Rane seemed ready to cash in. But instead of showing humility over this rare second wind, he stirred controversy by invoking the real and escalating India–Pakistan conflict. Rather than using his platform to promote peace, he jumped onto social media to boldly declare that he would not work with his Pakistani co-star Mawra Hocane in any potential sequel.

This move was baffling – especially considering Hocane had long since moved on to far bigger stardom and more substantial work. Her response was swift, smart, and scathing. In a single social media post, she dismissed Rane’s performative nationalism, pointing out that a war was ongoing and innocent lives were being lost. She called his statement “shameful, bizarre and desperate,” writing: “While our nations are at war, this is what you come up with — a PR statement to get attention? What a pity!”

Unlike Rane’s patchy career, Hocane is a huge star in Pakistan, with a string of hit TV serials, a larger social media following, and far greater acting range. She does not need to share the screen with him – and certainly not for a sequel no one asked for.

But Rane wasn’t done. He made another clumsy attempt to milk the moment by hinting at a sequel to Sanam Teri Kasam. The film’s co-directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru – whose careers have been even less impressive than Rane’s – weighed in, stating that Hocane would not be part of any such project. The pettiness didn’t end there: Hocane’s face was scrubbed from the Sanam Teri Kasam soundtrack artwork on Spotify. A spiteful move, given that she has the larger fanbase and, frankly, delivered the film’s more memorable performance.

Sanam Teri Kasamgetty images

What made these collective statements particularly absurd was that a sequel has not even been officially greenlit. Given Rane’s track record and the clueless directing duo behind the original, any producer willing to back such a venture would need the courage of a war general and the bankroll of a gambler on a losing streak.

As tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, with real lives at stake, Rane’s posturing has felt especially tone-deaf. He now joins a long list of minor celebrities on both sides of the border who have tried to exploit geopolitical crises for publicity, rather than using their platforms to advocate for peace, dialogue – or even basic decency.

At a time when empathy and unity are needed most, Rane, like so many others, chose division and drama. That says a lot — not just about his career, but about how desperation for relevance can turn an actor into a headline-chaser rather than an artist or responsible citizen.

Perhaps instead of reaching for controversy, he should focus on finding a script that finally works. Or better yet, some introspection.