Saiyaara starring Ahaan Panday scores a historic box office debut — But was the hype organic or just genius PR?

Dubai: Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has pulled off a feat that most newcomers can only dream of.

The musical romance has raked in an impressive $13.80 million globally in its opening weekend, including $2 million from overseas markets — making it the biggest worldwide debut for a Bollywood film led entirely by fresh faces, according to a statement by Yash Raj Films.

But what’s generating even more buzz than the numbers is how the film got here — with barely a whisper of conventional marketing.

Producers Yash Raj Films, Saiyaara skipped the usual Bollywood promotional circus. No relentless press junkets, no 30-city tours, no back-to-back interviews with media outlets. In an era where stars are expected to be promotional athletes — churning out reels, soundbites, and red carpet quotes — Saiyaara went the other way.

Instead, the campaign leaned into strategic restraint. Ahaan’s cousin Ananya Panday tearfully endorsed the film. Alia Bhatt gave it her stamp of approval. Karan Johar shared glowing words.

Even a viral moment featuring a man on an IV drip insisting on watching the film in theatres caught fire. If it wasn’t traditional PR, it was something else — a calculated orchestration of emotion and influence masquerading as organic buzz.

And clearly, it worked.

As for the film itself, Saiyaara tells a heartfelt story of young love tested by fate. Ahaan Panday plays Krish, a rebellious musician with a troubled past, while Aneet Padda stars as Vaani, a reserved aspiring journalist. Their romance takes a tragic turn when Vaani is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s — a premise that echoes classic love stories like The Fault in Our Stars and, as some online viewers noted, the 2004 Korean film A Moment to Remember.

The film has its share of emotional moments, backed by Mohit Suri’s signature visual polish and a soundtrack that supports (even if it doesn’t fully elevate) the narrative. Both Ahaan and Aneet give earnest performances, showing flashes of potential as they navigate complex emotional terrain. It may not be groundbreaking cinema, but it offers a sincere, visually lush love story for audiences in the mood for melodrama.

What Saiyaara also proves is that a debut film doesn’t have to scream for attention to get it. With the right mix of studio power, carefully timed celebrity endorsements, and a whisper campaign that feels effortless — but is anything but — this film is rewriting the Bollywood launch playbook.

So is Saiyaara the most original or emotionally profound love story we’ve seen recently? Not quite. But is it a massive win for a debutant-led film? Absolutely. And in today’s cluttered cinematic landscape, that’s an achievement worth applauding.