New Delhi: Mohit Suri’s directorial venture Saiyaara, starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has taken the box office by storm. The romantic musical drama has not only crossed the Rs 200 crore milestone but is now inching closer to the Rs 300 crore mark.
The film, which opened to strong critical and audience acclaim, has also secured a place among the Top 10 Highest Opening Weekends of 2025.
Mohit Suri Recalls Casting Aneet Padda
In a recent interview with Instant Bollywood, director Mohit Suri shared a candid anecdote about his first meeting with lead actress Aneet Padda.
“Aneet also came to me in my office, dressed up in something which was completely off my character, a yellow dress, and the first thing I said was ‘what are you wearing?’ that went disastrously bad when she met me. But it was Ahaan who actually was saving the scenario that day, and he was there with me when we met her, and he tried to distract me; he was the one who told me to give her another chance. ‘I’m telling you she’s good, I’m telling you I have done a scene with her, ’” he recalled.
He continued, “Then I call up Aneet and I said, you know, when you guys have a problem thinking I like something, please come in what you think you are, and she came in a white shirt and jeans the next day and I was like, This is it.”
Referring to the trailer, Suri added, “This, if you notice the traile,r this is the kurta and jeans kind of look, which is her lost and clumsy, and that’s what she is”
“That’s Not What Filmmakers Are Looking For”
Suri also touched on a broader industry issue. “You know, I think that this is a huge burden, the people to think they tell what you supposed to be like, and that’s not what I think filmmakers are looking for”
Take a look:
A Poetic, Painful Love Story
In Saiyaara, Ahaan Panday plays a troubled musician battling inner demons, drawing comparisons to iconic characters like Jordan from Rockstar or Kabir from Kabir Singh. Aneet Padda plays a warm-hearted journalist who tries to understand the world through her storytelling.
