Ananya Panday reveals brother Ahaan Panday told her ‘I hope people watch my film’ days before Saiyaara released

Ananya Panday is glowing with pride these days, and it has nothing to do with her own career.
Instead, her heart is full because of the extraordinary rise of her cousin brother, Ahaan Panday, whose debut film Saiyaara has turned into one of the year’s biggest and most unexpected success stories.

For Ananya, watching Ahaan go from an unknown newcomer to the face of a record-breaking opening has been emotional. Speaking about the days just before the release, she recalled how quiet everything felt around Saiyaara. There was no major buzz, no aggressive promotions, and no built-in fanbase waiting at the gates.

“So my brother Ahaan’s film, Saiyaara, before that no one even knew that this film is coming out, no one knew Ahaan, no one knew Aneet,” she said, referring to co-star Aneet Padda.

What she remembered most was a conversation with Ahaan just a few days before the film hit theatres. “I remember talking to Ahaan 3–4 days before the film was coming out and he was just like, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, I hope people watch my film. I was like yeah yeah, people will watch it.”

But Saiyaara didn’t just open well; it shocked the entire industry. The film pulled in a massive Rs 22 crore on day one — unheard of for debutants. “And then it opened at 22 Crores,” she said, still stunned. “And that’s insane and they made history.”