The story introduces us to (played by Mawra Hocane ), a librarian with a heart of gold but a face her orthodox, Brahmin family considers "cursed." Branded as Mangalik (a heavy Mars placement in her horoscope), Saru is told she will destroy any man she marries. She wears spectacles, covers her body in baggy clothes, and internalizes the shame heaped upon her.

The Hindi film industry, commonly known as Bollywood, has undergone a significant transformation since the 2010s, characterized by the rise of "content-driven cinema" (e.g., Andhadhun , Badhaai Ho ). Within this landscape, the traditional melodrama—marked by long-lost family members, societal ostracization, and tragic death—has become increasingly rare. Sanam Teri Kasam (2016), starring Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane, is an outlier. It is a modern film that looks backward, borrowing narrative beats from 1980s and 1990s blockbusters.