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Exclusive | Ahaan Panday Says He Wasn't 'Bitter' Over His Delayed Debut With 'Saiyaara', But Reveals Some People 'Wronged' Him
Ahaan Panday revealed that he had to hold on to his faith during a particularly trying time, when his plans were falling apart and a personal setback left him devastated.
Ahaan Panday had to wait for his big-screen debut with the blockbuster Saiyaara—and now the audience can't wait to see more of him. The Yash Raj Films-backed romantic drama, co-starring Aneet Padda, broke all box-office records and emerged as the highest-grossing movie led by newcomers.
The Mohit Suri directorial marked the starry arrival of Panday, who was waiting in the wings for his film debut for several years. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, when asked if he ever held any resentment over that, the 27-year-old said there was "no resentment".
"Have I felt wronged by people? Yes, I have. It wouldn’t be right for me to get personal about that though, but as an actor that’s where you take [inspiration] from. I would take a small moment and enlarge that for the character. I just kept putting myself into different things. There was that blind optimism, the first four-five years, where I was entirely delusional, and I think people around me could sense it."
Panday revealed that he had to hold on to his faith during a particularly trying time, when his plans were falling apart and a personal setback left him devastated.
"I would have to tell myself to [keep the faith] because things weren’t going the way I wanted them to. Something happened in my personal life that left me shattered. A person very important to me [passed away], and she was my backbone; the only person that would call me a hero every day in my home and always meant it. And I think once she [passed away] that confidence started to shatter; the only way to deal with that was to just keep working, and that’s what I did. "
"Eventually, I got this opportunity. I would always remind myself: to assist on a set is a dream for millions. To be able to pursue art is a luxury; most people didn’t get to do that, I did. That kept me going. I got to be on a film set, I got to learn from other actors. I didn’t ever think it would be this [big]. I was happy doing this; I was never sour or bitter that things weren’t going my way, because I got to be on a set," he added.
Shanoo Sharma, YRF’s longtime casting director, had previously revealed to THR India that when Aditya Chopra called Panday's parents, he told them how there were other producers and agencies interested in the young actor, but he wasn't sure exactly when he would make a film with him. Panday's parents said it was ultimately the actor's call, who, without
hesitation, said he wanted to stay with Chopra.
When asked how was he so sure about it, Panday said, "I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me ‘Raj’ all the time. My sister’s Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we’re big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers."
"So, when Adi sir asked me, it was instinctive because I believed it was my destiny. It was just this childhood dream of mine; I’ve seen these heroes my whole life, emulated them, looked up to them and that was [what I wanted to be] the first chapter of my professional life. I know [when I’m older] I’ll look back on this and be very happy, and I know my grandmother would be very happy. It was her dream for me to be an actor; I wanted to be a writer. Somewhere, I did this for her," he added.
To read more exclusive stories from The Hollywood Reporter India's September 2025 print issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest book store or newspaper stand.