In an exclusive interview with Lehren Retro, director duo Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru open up about how Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane landed their major break in Sanam Teri Kasam. The directors share the inside casting story and the journey behind bringing the actors to the big screen. The film, which was recently re-released after 9 years, has made history at the box office, rekindling the love of fans. With such a strong response, fans are now eagerly waiting for Sanam Teri Kasam 2, set to release next Valentine’s Day. #harshvardhanrane #sanamterikasam2 #radhikarao #vinaysapru #mawrahocane #lehren
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00:00Let's talk a little about the film's star cast.
00:09When the plot of the film was ready, the star cast of Harsh Bandhan Rane and Maura Hokenji,
00:17was it decided from the beginning or after some auditions?
00:22See, I'll tell you what happened.
00:25As soon as Himesh sir came, and his music came,
00:29our finance people, the creators, said,
00:33do whatever you want to do, we don't have any interference,
00:37and we don't care, you can hire anyone.
00:40So we have a meritorious process here.
00:43We have an in-house casting department.
00:45We cast from here. All India, all over the world, we cast from here.
00:50Then an organic process started.
00:52Then we got Maura's audition from Sydney.
00:55So we selected her for that.
00:57Then we had a Zoom call with her.
01:00Then for Harsh, we had two other guys with him.
01:04That was a normal process.
01:06They auditioned.
01:07Then we selected the best among them.
01:10But it didn't matter.
01:11After Himesh sir came and the music came,
01:14then it was up to us to suit the story.
01:17That's it. On merit.
01:18That was the whole game.
01:20So Maura's selection wasn't based on the audition itself.
01:24Like she's a Pakistani actress.
01:26No, no.
01:27Did you meet her?
01:28No, no.
01:29We got the audition from Sydney.
01:31Because her mother lives in Sydney.
01:33We didn't have anything like that.
01:36But it was only on the merit.
01:38We found out later that she's an actress.
01:40Yes, later.
01:41When the audition came, it was such an amazing audition for Maura.
01:44Then we found out later.
01:46Then we had our talks on Zoom.
01:48And that girl is amazing.
01:50Her heart is amazing.
01:52We used to call her Mabu the Marvelous.
01:55I have two questions for you.
01:57Maura recently got married.
01:59Yes.
02:00Secondly, she shared on her Instagram story
02:03that she played the role of a Sikh girl in this film.
02:07The climax scene at the end,
02:09she said it was very difficult to play.
02:12She was shot from many angles and plots.
02:16I'll tell you what.
02:18When Radhika and I were shooting,
02:21we didn't think we'd shoot it like that.
02:23We thought we'd shoot it in a different way.
02:26But when we saw it on set,
02:28and when the story had reached there,
02:31we decided...
02:32First, Harsh would sit on a chair and listen to the story.
02:35Then we decided it wouldn't be like that.
02:38He slept next to Inder Saru.
02:41Yes.
02:42Yes.
02:44Yes.
02:45Inder would sleep next to Saru.
02:47He would hold her and cry.
02:49The last conversation would be
02:52while she's lying on the hospital bed.
02:55Then she'd take her last breath.
02:58That was our thought.
03:00Before that, there was the father scene.
03:03It was very painful for Maura.
03:06Actually, the film had reached that point.
03:09The conflict of the film was
03:11that a father curses his daughter.
03:14While she's alive, he performs a ritual
03:17in her house.
03:19He puts a photo of her on the wall
03:21and garlands her.
03:22There was a lot of conflict.
03:24The climax of the film was
03:26how the girl would forgive the father.
03:28The climax was standing there
03:30and the father was crying.
03:32Does a father do this to his daughter?
03:35He tortures his daughter so much
03:37that she's mentally ill.
03:40He takes away all the happiness
03:42for his daughter's sake.
03:44How will she forgive him?
03:46That was the scene.
03:48The takes were emotional.
03:50There was a line, Vinayji says,
03:52which was the climax of the film.
03:54It was Amitabh Bachchan's father
03:56Harivansh Rai Bachchan's line.
03:58The daughter says to the father
04:00that it's better if you don't have a good heart.
04:03Because that's God's will.
04:05A father dies in repentance.
04:07He cries and asks
04:09what kind of a father am I
04:11that I can't save my daughter.
04:13No one is listening to me.
04:15That's what she says.
04:17It was very painful for her.
04:19It happened from every angle.
04:21She did it from one angle
04:23and then from the other.
04:25It was very difficult.
04:27Are you planning to celebrate this success?
04:31With the film's unit.
04:33Will you reunite and have parties?
04:36We are having parties
04:38but we have a strong feeling
04:40that next Valentine's Day
04:42is very near.
04:44So we are talking about
04:46Sanam Teri Kasam 2.
04:48I have a question on that too.
04:50It is said that
04:52you had already prepared
04:54the script for Sanam Teri Kasam
04:56at the time of Part 2.
04:58Yes.
05:00When we were writing Part 1
05:02it's a tragic story.
05:04We had written Part 2
05:06for Sanam Teri Kasam.
05:08We always had to make
05:10Part 1 and Part 2.
05:12You must have seen the movie.
05:14It was a flashback.
05:16In the last shot,
05:18he comes to the tree
05:20and says that he quit drinking
05:22and won the case.
05:24He lies there and
05:26hears the girl's voice.
05:28This is the starting point
05:30of Part 2.
05:32How can we say that
05:34we have Part 2 ready?
05:36Now we have started saying it
05:38because now it is
05:40complete.
05:42Our story
05:44that we had written
05:46we wanted to tell
05:48what will happen to Inder
05:50or what will happen to Saru.
05:52More than half of the people
05:54say that Saru should be in the movie.
05:56We are already dead.
05:58But the fans
06:00are so crazy about it.
06:02Someone asked us
06:04if we have heard Salman Khan
06:06will be in the movie.
06:08You can tell them.
06:10You can ask the boss.
06:12Hashtag Salman Sir.
06:14We run a movement.
06:16Will you plan
06:18after this or
06:20have you already made
06:22the music for Part 2?
06:24The story is ready.
06:26We are in the process.
06:28It's the first weekend.
06:30The good thing is that
06:32the story is ready.
06:34We have been writing
06:36the story for 6-8 months.
06:38We had written the story
06:409 years ago.
06:42That is also a
06:44beautiful story.
06:46Rane Ji said in an interview
06:48that we are preparing for Part 2.
06:50We hope it will continue.
06:52He said that he
06:54will stop drinking water.
06:56I said there is no need
06:58to drink water.
07:00You are so good.
07:02You don't have that.
07:04But Harsh,
07:06there are newcomers.
07:08Like I said,
07:10Harsh and Mavra were newcomers.
07:12Why did we want to make a movie
07:14with newcomers?
07:16Because newcomers
07:18surrender themselves.
07:20Mavra was Radhika Ji.
07:22Harsh was me.
07:24Harsh, stand up.
07:26Harsh, give your profile.
07:28Harsh, give 3-4.
07:30Harsh, do exercise.
07:32Harsh, speak like this.
07:34Harsh, do like this.
07:36So everything is told to them.
07:38In fact, I remember
07:40someone showed me in the office
07:42that the introduction scene.
07:44It's called an epic introduction scene.
07:46When they come and
07:48pick up a glass of wine
07:50and go to the tree.
07:52They were not able to pick up the glass properly.
07:54Vinay Ji picks up
07:56very stylishly.
07:58I was holding my head.
08:00Vinay Ji told me to pick it up
08:02like this with my hand.
08:04He picked it up
08:06with one finger.
08:08I remember.
08:10We were shooting in South Africa
08:12and Radhika Ji said,
08:14Vinay, let it go.
08:16But all those memories
08:18are left.
08:20A newcomer
08:22completely surrenders
08:24to the director.
08:26Acting-wise, scene-wise,
08:28he doesn't question
08:30like a big star.
08:32When our film fails
08:34or doesn't benefit from it,
08:36we both think it's our failure.
08:38It's not their fault.
08:40It's our fault.
08:42We felt bad for them.
08:44Harsh is our discovery today.
08:46We introduced him.
08:48He's like, we are his mentor.
08:50If Harsh
08:52is not doing well, it is our failure.
08:54It is not Harsh's failure.
08:56Today,
08:58we had promised him
09:00that he brings dreams
09:02and dreams in our eyes.
09:04He trusts us and
09:06does workshops and rehearsals with us.
09:08It's a promise given to him
09:10that he should have faith in us
09:12and do what we say.
09:14If it doesn't get delivered,
09:16it's our fault.
09:18When Harsh
09:20or Mavra
09:22is so happy
09:24and Mavra gets this hit on their wedding day,
09:26it is like, for us,
09:28it is like a
09:30karmic redemption.
09:32We feel so relieved.
09:34It took us 9 years
09:36but still.
09:38Whenever Harsh's film was released,
09:40we always prayed
09:42that we should get this film
09:44hit.
09:46Whatever happened,
09:48at the end of it, he got his first hit
09:50from us only.
09:52Thank God for this promise.
09:54The kid who had faith in us,
09:56that newcomer,
09:58we gave him his first hit.
10:00It's like a circle of life.
10:02Faith is complete.
10:04All the blessings and prayers for both of them.
10:06I am so happy for them.