The success of Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda‘s film ‘Saiyaara’ demonstrates that if the story of the film resonates with the audience, it does not require big stars. The movie is scoring big at the box office day after day. The lead stars have received immense love from the viewers, especially the young audience. However, would the movie have been successful if the main actors had been well-known? The question comes into the picture because the film’s director, Mohit Suri, initially had different plans.Here’s a closer look at what Mohit Suri had in mind.
Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda were not the first choice for ‘Saiyaara’
According to ScoopWhoop, Mohit Suri had planned to rope in two known stars for the film. And as per the report, the duo was none other than Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. Everyone loved the chemistry of the Bollywood couple in their film ‘Shershaah,’ and that was the main factor for approaching them first to play the leads.However, things didn’t go as planned, and Mohit had to drop the names.
How did Mohit Suri come to the decision of casting Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday in ‘Saiyaara’?
In the same interview, the filmmaker opened up about the process of casting for the film. Suri stated that he wanted to get on board well-known faces for the film; however, producer Aditya Chopra intervened in it.Mohit Suri shared what the producer told him. He recalled Aditya telling him, “Your film won’t work with known faces—it’s a story of two youngsters. Let’s cast fresh faces.” Expressing his doubt, the director asked the producer who would take such a risk of investing in newcomers. Suri stated Aditya quickly replied, “I will.” And that’s how ‘Saiyaara’ happened.
More about ‘Saiyaara’
‘Saiyaara’ has reportedly become Mohit Suri’s biggest opener with a first-day collection of Rs 21.5 crore. Until now, according to Sacnilk, the film has earned Rs 258.17 crore at the box office in India. As per the report, the film will cross the Rs 300 mark at the box office by Friday. It was released in theatres on July 18, 2025.