Director Mohit Suri reveals Saiyaara was not Ahaan Panday's debut film originally: "His pride and ‘guroor’ was killed"

With a domestic box office total of over Rs 200 crore, Saiyaara, starring Ahaan and Aneet, continues its incredible run.

Ahaan Panday has been making waves and already garnered a huge fan following after his thunderous debut with Saiyaara alongside Aneet Padda. However, director Mohit Suri revealed recently that Saiyaara was initially not his debut film.

In a candid chat with Komal Nahata, Mohit Suri revealed that the actor was initially set to debut with a different film.

However, the project was shelved post-pandemic due to shifts in the industry, leaving the actor disheartened—yet he remained committed to making his debut under YRF.

Mohit stated, “Ahaan had actually been workshopping with YRF for seven years. He was supposed to do a larger-than-life film before the pandemic. But the project was cancelled, because, as you know, the industry changed."

The director then emphasized that this indeed hurt Ahaan's pride. “Overnight, his pride and ‘guroor’ was killed. The same kid who was going around telling everyone that he would be launched by YRF was heartbroken. People started saying to him, ‘You were bragging about being launched by YRF, what now?’" he added.

Mohit Suri further shared that after the pandemic, Aditya Chopra had a conversation with the young actor, assuring him that his faith in the actor’s talent remained unchanged.

Also read: Explained - Will Kingdom break the prolonged shadow of Arjun Reddy for Vijay Deverakonda?

However, he also told him he was free to explore opportunities outside YRF if he wished. Despite the offer, the actor remained firm in his belief that only YRF could launch him—and ultimately, his persistence paid off.

With a domestic box office total of over Rs 200 crore, Saiyaara, starring Ahaan and Aneet, continues its incredible run. With a total of $10.8 million, it has also become the highest-grossing Bollywood film abroad, making history.