Mumbai: Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has expressed high hopes for Saiyaara, the forthcoming romantic drama directed by his protégé and nephew, Mohit Suri, which stars debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. The film, set to be released on 18 July, is already drawing comparisons with Bhatt’s 1990 cult classic Aashiqui.
In an interview with one of the leading newspaper, Bhatt reflected on his early career: “The making of Aashiqui was an incredibly innocent experience. I was fortunate that audiences embraced it and turned Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal into overnight stars.” He added his belief that Saiyaara has the same potential to launch a new generation of talent .
Bhatt described Saiyaara as “refreshingly different” in tone and depth, and praised Suri for boldly embracing new faces. “It’s amazing that people are already feeling Aashiqui-style nostalgia, but Saiyaara will rewrite the rules of what a romantic film should be today… It would make me immensely happy if Suri surpassed me in every way possible” .
Having launched Suri’s career with Zeher in 2005 and entrusted him with Aashiqui 2 in 2013, Bhatt is confident that Suri has matured into a filmmaker capable of breaking new ground. He continued: “I’ve always encouraged Mohit to work with fresh talent… Saiyaara feels like a breath of fresh air that only happens when newcomers are given a chance” .
Indeed, industry observers are already drawing parallels between the two romances—both music-driven, emotionally resonant, and introducing fresh faces destined for stardom. With Saiyaara hitting cinemas next week, the buzz is strong that Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda may follow in the footsteps of Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal.
