'Saiyaara': Mohit Suri Says No One Expects Newcomers to Have 'Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt Level of Acting', Praises Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda

Filmmaker Mohit Suri had given up on the idea of making a film with newcomers as he didn’t come across debutants with acting calibre, until two new faces won him over, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, who are headlining his latest romantic drama Saiyaara.

The makers of Saiyaara dropped the trailer on Tuesday and Mohit said he is humbled by the response and added that he was happy that he found Ahaan and Aneet, who lived up to his expectations.

Best known for Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain, Mohit said Saiyaara would not have been made without what the director described as the rare calibre of the two debutants.

"When you make a love story with debutants, they have to be convincing as actors to pull off the emotional layers and depths that make the love story feel believable for people,” he said. “No one expects newcomers to have Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt level of acting but they need to be actors who hold their own on screen. I didn’t come across debutants with acting calibre, I didn’t find the vulnerability in the young crop and I had given up on the idea of making this script with debutants," the filmmaker said.

Mohit revealed that he had initially reimagined the film with a more marketable name so that the project could sell from a "commerce point of view."

"Somehow, the writing process of Saiyaara took time, and I met YRF. Then I saw the auditions of Ahaan and Aneet and decided to spend time with them to get convinced about their acting, intellectual and emotional depth. I was blown away that here are two absolutely fresh new actors who have it in them to act, to surrender to a vision. It’s a rarity today honestly and it’s so refreshing to make a love story with newcomers. I’m glad I found these two because I’m making this story as it was meant to be made," he added.

The film’s soundtrack has already gained traction, with tracks by Faheem-Arslan, Jubin Nautiyal, Vishal Mishra, Arijit Singh, Mithoon, and Sachet-Parampara consistently on top of recent music charts.

YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani, who is producing the film, said the project aligns with the studio’s legacy of love stories. “This collaboration with Mohit Suri was always meant to happen,” he said. “An intense love story with debutants has not been made in a long time and we are hoping our audience finds that extremely refreshing.”

Ahaan is being launched as a YRF lead, while Aneet previously appeared in the series Big Girls Don’t Cry.