'Saiyaara': What made Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda's romantic-drama a blockbuster? Is the old-school romance back in Bollywod?

Saiyaara has turned out to be a blockbuster at the box-office, which stars Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, and is directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films. After Metro In Dino, we have another title that talks about complicated love and a bittersweet end. The conflicts and characters continue to live even when the story ends.

The historic collections must have made the makers grin like a Cheshire cat but it’s also a much-needed departure from those banal and mindless action potboilers that thought only bloodshed blazed the box-office. Sometimes, all it takes is one love story with haunting music that does the magic. The reels on social media are proof of that.

There haven’t been too many promotional activities for Saiyaara. It’s a film that stars two newcomers, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. During the promotions, director Mohit Suri has been speaking about the comparisons with Rockstar and Aashiqui 2. He revealed how his wife asked him if he had his own filmmaking style like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Pradeep Sarkar.

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It has been two decades for the filmmaker and now it seems he has his own voice and versions of telling a story. He’s milking the same emotions packaged in different tales. The hero is a reckless maniac, the heroine is a fragile soul bruised inside out. And just like many of his previous outings, Saiyaara too begins with a heartbreaking moment.

Ahan Panday’s sincerity only begins to show post the interval when his outbursts and outrageous behaviour are sanitised and his character becomes a lot more restrained. Even the couple’s togetherness feels more earned.

What keeps Saiyaara afloat is how two new faces submit to the vision of a filmmaker despite the messiness and imperfection of the narrative. What also holds the film together is the stunning title track even if the other songs may not have the lasting legacy of Suri’s previous works. It may not have the gorgeousness of the other love stories, but it may drag its feet, but the intent and inherent sincerity make up for it. Because when is love ever perfect?