With 'Saiyaara' rewriting box office history, filmmaker Mohit Suri is taking a moment to reflect not just on the film’s success, but also on the lesser-seen sides of his lead actors, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. While both have earned praise for their moving performances, Suri insists there's a wealth of untapped talent in both of them.

Mohit Suri praises Ahaan Panday

In a conversation with Komal Nahta, Suri shared a particularly candid moment from the shoot that revealed Ahaan’s humble surprise at landing the role in the first place.

“Sir, maine toh ek dimension hi inmein tap nahi kiya hai. Mujhe yaad hai, 30th day of shooting par, jab 50 per cent shoot ho chuki thi, he suddenly turns to our creative producer and says, ‘Sumanna, maine kya kiya tha audition mein? Aisa toh koi audition diya hi nahi tha maine. Mujhe bola gaya tha, you are the right one (Sir, I haven’t even tapped one dimension of him yet. I remember on the 30th day of shooting, when half the film was done, he turned to our creative producer and said, ‘Sumanna, what did I even do in the audition? I didn’t give any big performance. I was just told I’m the right one.)"

"Ahaan is a total TikToker"

According to Suri, Ahaan has a far more flamboyant and energetic personality than what Saiyaara required.

“He has a whole different side—the way he dances, he’s a gallery man! He dances for the front benchers. Aapne woh videos dekhe nahi hai jo usne pull down kar diye. TikToker hai yeh ladka. Full chapri hai. He’s a full, out-there, galleried, Gaiety Galaxy boy jo Bandra mein hai (You haven’t seen the videos he deleted—this guy is a total TikToker! He’s a loud, energetic, over-the-top Gaiety Galaxy boy from Bandra.)"

The director noted that while this side of Ahaan didn’t fit Saiyaara’s emotional tone, it’s something he’d love to explore in future projects. He also had glowing words for Aneet Padda, especially admiring her unexpected flair for comedy—a trait not yet revealed to audiences.

Saiyaara box office collection

Meanwhile, Saiyaara continues to break records at an astonishing pace. In just 11 days, the romantic drama has collected ₹404 crore globally, outpacing blockbusters like Kabir Singh (₹379 crore) and Sitaare Zameen Par (₹264 crore). With fresh faces and heartfelt storytelling, the film has become the highest-grossing love story in Indian cinematic history—solidifying Ahaan and Aneet as promising new stars to watch.