Saiyaara OTT release date revealed: A love story the internet can’t stop crying over

While cynics rolled their eyes, the rest of planet has been busy crying into their popcorn

Last updated:
Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment, Lifestyle and Sport Editor
3 MIN READ
Saiyaara starring debutants Aneet Padda and Ahaan Pandey
Saiyaara starring debutants Aneet Padda and Ahaan Pandey
Screengrab

Dubai: Love has been on life support lately. Let’s be honest—after the recent Coldplay debacle, where a married billionaire CEO was photographed canoodling with his human resources head, the institution of marriage looked like a corporate restructuring exercise. Fidelity? Loyalty? They’re now just words buried deep in HR manuals nobody reads.

And then, out of nowhere, comes the Bollywood romance Saiyaara, which had a tear-streaked run in cinemas and is now set to premiere on Netflix on September 12.

This unapologetically syrupy, wide-eyed love story has crashed into our jaded, doomscrolling timelines like a golden retriever at a board meeting. No glossy press tours, no breakneck speed-dating interviews where actors recite answers like chatbots.

The makers just dropped the film, and boom—it was all anyone could talk about. Now Netflix is ready to beam it into living rooms worldwide.

The plot? Simpler than an HR policy

Confession time: Saiyaara is so saccharine you can feel your dentist dialing. The acting? A bit coltish—think baby deer learning to walk. And yet, audiences can’t look away.

The story is heartbreak written in bold ink: a tempestuous, storm-clouded musician falls for Padda (Aneet Padda), luminous enough to light up the screen just by existing. Then comes the inevitable twist—she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

In a world where ghosting is considered conflict resolution, he stays. He marries her, memorises her quirks, learns her rhythms, and keeps loving her even as she forgets who he is.

The world is eating it up

While cynics rolled their eyes, the rest of the planet has been busy crying into their popcorn. Videos of people sobbing uncontrollably in packed theatres broke the internet during its theatrical run. Spotify charts? Dominated by Saiyaara. People watched it twice, thrice, dragging their IV stands into the theatre if they had to.

And with its arrival on Netflix, expect the floodgates to open wider—TikTok edits, Instagram reels, and Twitter threads dissecting every single tear. This isn’t just a movie anymore—it’s cultural group therapy.

Why now?

Maybe it’s timing. Maybe audiences are exhausted from reading about CEOs behaving like hormonal teenagers. Maybe the fantasy of unconditional love feels radical in an era when loyalty is a punchline.

Whatever the reason, Saiyaara is rebellion in soft focus. It offers what reality refuses: a boy who becomes the saviour, a girl who becomes the soul, and together they remind us of devotion without cynicism.

Generational catnip

What’s fascinating is the sweep. Gen Z, who usually treat love stories like a bad meme, are swooning. Boomers are sniffling quietly. Millennials are reliving their early-2000s belief that love can conquer all.

In the middle of our most Coldplaying era, Saiyaara arrives on Netflix as a full-bodied rebellion. It is pure, clean, unfiltered emotion—so defiantly earnest it feels revolutionary.

Do I still think it’s saccharine? Absolutely. Will we all watch it on Netflix anyway, tissues in hand? Against our better judgment—yes.

Manjusha Radhakrishnan
Manjusha RadhakrishnanEntertainment, Lifestyle and Sport Editor
Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years—and she’s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. Red carpets? She’s walked them all—Europe, North America, Macau—covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She’s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood’s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. Oh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE’s 50 most influential icons? She was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV’s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list—Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. From breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn’t just cover entertainment—she owns it while looking like a star herself.
Related Topics:

Sign up for the Daily Briefing

Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox

Up Next