Breakout star Ahaan Panday has revealed that neither he nor his Saiyaara co star Aneet Padda expected audiences to turn up in large numbers to watch a film led by two newcomers, even as the movie went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2025.
In an interview with Grazia India, Ahaan said he and Aneet had realistic expectations while shooting the film, directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films.
“Aneet and I even discussed this on set that even if only two people walked out of the theatre feeling something, we would have done our job,” he said. “We knew we could not expect audiences to flock to watch two newcomers on the big screen.”
Ahaan, who made his acting debut as struggling musician Krish Kapoor, said he worked deeply on shaping the emotional arc of his character. He revealed that he kept a diary throughout the shoot, noting Krish’s inner thoughts and emotions before every scene.
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“When I read the script, I felt there was no softness in Krish initially. There was more duality,” he said, adding that he consciously brought vulnerability and emotional depth to the character in the second half of the film.
Recalling a quiet moment on set, Ahaan said he and Aneet once sat together on a beach discussing their anonymity at the time. “I told her that nobody knows my face, and nobody really knows hers either,” he said, noting that both remained grounded by focusing on emotional impact rather than fame.
“That’s our job as artists, to move even one person,” Ahaan said, adding that the overwhelming audience response far exceeded their expectations.
By the end of 2025, Saiyaara topped IMDb’s list of the Top 10 Most Popular Indian Movies of the year. Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda also claimed the top two spots among IMDb’s Most Popular Indian Actors, while Mohit Suri led the platform’s inaugural Most Popular Indian Directors list.
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Ahaan was later named Best Debutant Actor of the Year at the NDTV Indian of the Year awards in December 2025.
Saiyaara explores themes of love, loss and heartbreak, with Ahaan starring opposite Aneet Padda, who plays a young writer diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
#With inputs from NDTV