Former co-stars of the 2016 love drama Sanam Teri Kasam, actors Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane, are engaged in a digital verbal sparring match as tensions between India and Pakistan rise in the wake of Operation Sindoor.

The controversy started when Harshvardhan Rane declared on Instagram that if Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane was cast in the follow-up, he would not be returning for Sanam Teri Kasam 2. His remarks followed Mawra’s now-viral post denouncing India’s May 7 retaliatory airstrikes, known as Operation Sindoor. After the horrific terror incident in Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 civilians and security personnel, the mission targeted nine militant launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“We could all hear explosions, children in my country died due to an unjustified cowardly attack, innocent lives are lost,” Mawra wrote in her previous post, criticizing India’s response. My military’s appropriate response last night sent your nation into a frenzy. “Someone I expected to have basic common sense has risen from deep slumber with a PR strategy,” she continued, referring to Harshvardhan’s departure from the sequel as a “PR strategy.” This is what you come up with while our countries are at war? An attention-grabbing PR statement? “How unfortunate!”

On May 11, Harshvardhan Rane responded to Mawra’s comments with a scathing reaction on Instagram stories. He said, “That sounded like an attempt at a personal attack,” without specifically mentioning Mawra. Thankfully, I am tolerant enough to ignore such attempts, but I am not tolerant of any assault on the honor of my country.

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Harshvardhan Rane:

On social media, Harshvardhan’s decision and response have gone viral. While some have praised his stance as patriotic, others saw the widening divide as just another instance of how art frequently suffers as a result of war.