Sanam Teri Kasam

SONY DADC, Rs 599

Cast: Harshvardhan Rane, Mawra Hocane, Murli Sharma, Sudesh Berry, Manish Chaudhary
Directors: Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru

While controversy surrounds Pakistani actors working in Bollywood films, this would probably be the first and last feature for Pakistani debutant Mawra Hocane in Bollywood, where she is seen romancing Telugu actor Harshvardhan Rane, who is also making his Hindi film debut with Sanam Teri Kasam.

Romance always gets a thumbs-up in Bollywood and this love story makes for a decent watch, leaving a strong impact on the audience and making the film look realistic and emotional, woven into a family targeted plot with tradition being part and parcel of our culture.

The film opens with lawyer Inder (Harshvardhan Rane) congratulated on his big win in a case. But this does not really interest him. He leaves for home and takes refuge in front of a huge tree, leading viewers to a flashback that connects Inder’s yesterday with his today.

Saru (Mawra Hocane) is a daddy’s girl from a traditional family. Her extremely religious father Jayaram (Manish Choudhary) is a no-nonsense member of society, who cannot tolerate any wrongdoing. Living in the same building is Inder, a dashing young man who is in a relationship.

Jayaram hates Inder for his outrageous behaviour. He wants nothing but the best for his daughter. Saru, despite being extremely cultured, self-respecting and intellectual, is rejected by prospective grooms, and this delay in her marriage results in her younger sister Kaveri’s (Divyetta) marriage being delayed. Saru decides to change her image. She comes across a magazine article on a ‘complete makeover’, and decides to meet Inder whose girlfriend is the editor of the magazine.

But this one meeting on the sly turns not just Saru’s but her entire family’s world upside down, so much so that her father Jayaram declares her dead to him and his family. Saru leaves home and starts living on her own with the support of Inder. She starts afresh, even hoping to find the right man to marry, but if that happens will her parents be around to bless her? Will her sister get married? Does the love story see a happy ending?

Harshavardhan’s perfectly chiseled torso is eye candy for his female fans, while Mawra matches him with her innocence and vulnerability. As a duo they are a treat to watch.

The music by Himesh Reshammiya is a delight to listen to, be it the melodious title track or Tera Chehra, Kheech Meri Photo and Rahnuma, and is one of the selling points of the film.