Sisterhood of the Hocanes

The older Hocane (Urwa) is a role model to Mawra and they laugh when anyone even suggests of there being professional rivalry between the two. Mawra, whom I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with recently, obviously dotes on Urwa and in each other’s eyes they can do no wrong. With their parents in Australia, they are also each other’s support system.

“Home is where Urwa is,” Mawra says when talking of her ‘growing up’ experiences. “My family is living in Sydney so my parents and my younger brother are away from us so me and Urwa look for home in each other all the time; we just wouldn’t get convinced to go to Sydney and living there because we love what we do here. So yeah Urwa is home. Living away from her (when working in India) taught me a lot of things – because she’s over-protective when we’re together – and I’d give her calls every time I learnt little lessons and tell her you know you didn’t let me learn this over the years. Last year was a changing year.”

Urwa is also the reason why Mawra signed up for Sammi, Hum TV’s upcoming drama serial written in collaboration with John Hopkins.

“I’m most influenced by Urwa,” Mawra agreed. “Maybe had it come earlier I would have said no, give me a love story but now that I have seen what a social project can do on TV I really want to do it.”

Moving on to style and the bizarre red carpet choices they often make…

The Hocane sisters are infamous for making unconventional wardrobe choices. Urwa especially has turned up on the red carpet in some rather weird styles; one case in point being the Princess Leia hair buns that she sported to an LSA press conference earlier this year. Another would be her braided (almost corn rows) hair at the Lux Style Awards. Their dress sense, Mawra shared in a casual conversation, is a conscious effort and she loves it!

“I can wear a pretty gown and turn up in a beautiful blow dry but what’s the fun in that?” she says. “We’re young and want to experiment with looks and styles and we don’t want to dress like everyone else and be totally forgettable.”

She has a point. Too many celebrities these days are ordering a preset menu when it comes to dressing up for an event. Glorious gowns may have outlived their welcome but you’ll still have one starlet or the other sporting an ostentatious gown, whether or not she can carry it is another question altogether.

Farhan Saeed, who is like family to the Hocane sisters, is giving Mawra Hocane voice modulation lessons these days. He’s seen here with Urwa, sporting her Princess Leia look.

“I love Urwa’s hairstyles,” Mawra lights up when she talks about her sister. She remembers the Princess Leia hair buns and the braids Urwa is often seen in as her absolute favourite. When it comes to favourites, one thing that’s clear is that Urwa can do no wrong, ever, in Mawra’s eyes.

Mawra’s favourite red carpet look:

“It’s a tie between Isabel Sanches for an awards show in Dubai and Maral Yazarloo for the GQ India event.”

Your go-to designers in Pakistan:

My closet is literally all Elan.

What do you love about your looks:

I am the definition of narcissism. I love everything about my looks.

Go-to makeup artist:

Nabila and her team. They are the best.

Do you have a stylist:

Sometimes yes and sometime no. My stylists Mavi Kayani in Pakistan, VibhutiChamria in Bombay and Ania Fawad in US are epic!

Your personal style in your own words:

Chic and sassy!

Read the full interview with Mawra Hocane in Instep on Sunday (tomorrow). It will also be posted here.