Director Mohit Suri wanted to make Saiyaara with newcomers, but pitched it with established stars in mind when he first met YRF boss Aditya Chopra. It was Chopra who asked him why he wasn’t hunting down new actors for the movie, and Suri told him that he’d assumed it wouldn’t be financially feasible. But Chopra encouraged him to go ahead, and said that the movie should only be made with fresh faces, and they landed on Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Over a decade ago, Suri successfully ‘launched’ Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur with his hit film Aashiqui 2.
In an interview with Cyrus Broacha on his podcast, Suri said that he auditioned several people for the lead roles in Saiyaara, which he described as an old-school romantic drama that isn’t made often these days. He admitted that he wasn’t impressed by Ahaan Panday’s initial audition, but he changed his mind after watching Ahaan in his element. Ahaan is the cousin of actor Ananya Panday, and the nephew of Chunky Panday. Suri said that the selection of an actor depends entirely on a filmmaker’s vision, and their instinct on that particular day.
He said, “It’s not always related to your talent, or how well you did the shot. It’s just what the director is looking for that day. I can say this today, I didn’t really care much about Ahaan’s audition. But there was something about the guy that seemed interesting. So I said, ‘Let’s go out for dinner’. So, he takes me to this formal place, and he’s really behaving himself…”
But Suri still wasn’t impressed. He continued, “I get him a couple of drinks down, and then he’s taken me to some place in South Bombay with all these kids. And then I see the real Ahaan Panday. And then he’s standing on the bar, and I’m like, ‘This is the guy I want for my film’. That’s the audition that got him selected.”
Saiyaara, which also features newcomer Aneet Padda, will be released in theatres on Friday. The movie is projected to deliver a surprisingly strong opening, based on advance ticket sales. The film has already sold tickets worth over Rs 4 crore for Friday, and is expected to deliver a double-digit debut, which is rare for a film starring newcomers these days. Recently, the film Loveyapa made around Rs 10 crore in its entire run, while the more recent Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan hasn’t even made Rs 5 crore.
