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The Unstoppable Rise Of An Underdog: Here's How We're Wrong About 'Saiyaara'

MENSXP July 28, 2025 02:39 AM

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible, isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart, and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.” These lines by author Neil Gaiman have stayed with me to this day.

After watching Saiyaara, I felt we were losing the essence of this film, where its significance is currently restricted to mere box office numbers. While box office success certainly matters, there are plenty of nuances that make this film a tight slap to those who think they’re the real face of Bollywood and know everything.

This is why the headline reflects my genuine feeling that we are going in the wrong direction, solely led by its box office numbers. So, let’s begin.

The Underdog Story

The Indian film industry is mostly driven by superstars, where established franchises and festive releases typically rule. Not this time. Mohit Suri’s romantic film Saiyaara is a sensational underdog story that challenges conventional Bollywood wisdom in every way possible.

Almost everything about Saiyaara looks unconventional. The main cast comprises complete newcomers, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, and the promotion strategy was equally unconventional, with no interviews, podcasts or appearances on dance or reality shows.

Even I had no clue when it was releasing and initially had no interest in watching it, feeling it would just be another romantic debacle. But something clicked.

More Than Just Box Office Moolah

As I mentioned, Saiyaara arrived in cinemas with relatively low pre-release buzz compared to typical big-budget Bollywood extravaganzas. Yet, its journey has been nothing short of historic. The film continues to gain solid numbers at the box office, raking in over ₹20 crore every day since its release.

Regardless of whether it’s a weekend or a weekday, there’s no stopping it. It has already made more than ₹200 crore. It even surpassed Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava and is now the '15th All-Time Highest First Monday Grosser,' earning over ₹24 crore.

In fact, its opening weekend number (₹83 crore) was the highest ever for a film featuring two debutants in lead roles, surpassing previous holders like Dhadak and Student of the Year. Even in the North American market, the film has already crossed the USD 1 million mark.

Ajay Devgn even had to postpone his film Son of Sardar 2 by a week, and it’s now releasing on August 1, 2025. But why is this happening?

The Missing Case

At a time when films featuring Salman Khan (Sikander) or Raj Kumar Rao (Maalik) didn’t perform well, Saiyaara is a craze. One of the reasons is how it was promoted. The director of this film, Mohit Suri, wanted Saiyaara to be Aashiqui 3. Yes, you read that correctly. But he didn’t want to rush things and announce it without locking a solid script.

So, instead of T-Series, he opted to go with the Yash Raj banner. Yash Raj played it smart by keeping the main cast away from the crowd. There were only promotional songs and a trailer. So, no guest appearances on shows like The Kapil Sharma Show, which has become a staple for all movie stars to promote their projects.

The Story Time: Script as the Real Hero

Then there’s the script, which, in my opinio,n is the real hero of any film. Once you have a well-written story that brings out well-crafted and defined roles, you know you have a winner.

Saiyaara has that hero, with a story that brings out well-crafted roles along with twists and turns to excite the young generation. This success is especially noticeable if you look at the recent mixed performance of Hindi films.

Except for a few action blockbusters and franchises that managed to draw crowds, most so-called star-led films didn’t do well. The reason? The same-old formulaic storytelling is exhausting. The demand for fresh content was at its peak, and that’s why Saiyaara shines brighter than expected or perhaps, what it truly deserves.

The Melody: Music's Enduring Power

Then there is the music, often a crucial factor in the film industry. No matter the language, great songs will grab attention for your movie. The same thing happened with Aashiqui in 1990, then Aashiqui 2 in 2013, and now Saiyaara in 2025. Kumar Sanu became an unending craze, followed by Arijit Singh and Ankit Tiwari with their respective songs.

Almost all the songs of Aashiqui, Aashiqui 2 and Saiyaara complement the pace of the movie instead of working as fillers, which is another plus for Saiyaara, as it has no major dull moments.

The songs were deeply integrated into the narrative and emotional arc of the film. This is how songs complement the story and its pace and Saiyaara did that beautifully. Though I must confess that I didn’t like them as much as I enjoyed and played songs from Aashiqui or Aashiqui 2, they are still getting all the attention from Gen Z right now.

Word of Mouth: The Best Promotion

In my opinion, word of mouth is still the best way to promote your project, and that’s what Saiyaara managed to do pretty well. Reels, shorts and even tweets are all about the film.

Songs, the main cast and audience reactions are being posted left, right and centre. This is quite unlike films that rely only on the opening weekend buzz generated by star power. Saiyaara played it well, managing to retain excitement based on word of mouth instead of filmmakers and the star cast painting the town red with their posts.

It’s as if there’s an understanding between the makers of the film and the audience, where the audience has taken the responsibility to do the heavy lifting of promoting the movie. I call it a rare occurrence that signifies strong audience engagement and repeat viewings.

Love, Hate, Tragedy & Chemistry

Saiyaara revolves around Ahaan Panday as Kirsh and Aneet Padda as Vaani and how their relationship faces a heartbreaking challenge. The story revolves around whether they can manage to overcome the greatest difficulty of their lives as a couple.

You can sense their comfort with each other every time they appear on screen together. If there’s a scene where you see only one of them, you immediately start to miss the other. That’s how you can define good chemistry and that’s one of the best ways to understand a good on-screen chemistry that has managed to hit the right chord with young audiences.

Love Conquers All

Sorry if you find this a spoiler, but movies like Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Tere Naam, Rockstar, Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain all share a common style: they end on a sad note. Saiyaara broke that norm, showing a complete circle of attraction, confusion, complexity, heartbreak and ultimately, a ‘love conquers all’ kind of moment.

A love story that has everything, including a (somewhat) happy ending, is refreshing and gives hope to the Gen Z audience. Deep down, we all hope for a happy ending as movie lovers. This film is a deep understanding of that human emotion and expectation, translated into a screenplay that feels genuine and relatable.

What About Controversies?

Yes, we can’t forget this important ingredient to stir things up and get attention. Saiyaara comes with two main controversies: 1. It has been compared to the Korean film A Moment to Remember due to a similar plot twist and 2.

A censorship challenge where the makers were asked to cut or modify certain intimate scenes. However, these controversies were not deliberately created by the makers. Plenty of movies, like U Me Aur Hum featuring Kajol and Ajay Devgn, have similarities with the Korean film, and that’s fine.

I have seen both Saiyaara and the Korean film and I feel it’s all about inspiration rather than following a ‘cut, copy, paste’ formula. And I don’t know what to say about our censor board, which sometimes reminds me of a monkey with a knife.

The Future of Creative Storytelling in Indian Cinema

Saiyaara is like a Black Swan of the Indian film industry that’s here to disrupt dominant viewpoints about what works in Hindi cinema. More than just a box office triumph, Saiyaara signifies a much-needed shift where film-makers should prioritise convincing narratives and empathetic emotions over so-called star power and formulaic approaches.

Above all, I hope the success of Saiyaara will encourage many filmmakers to be fearless in bringing in fresh, diverse talent that truly resonates with audiences. I’ve been saying this for a long time: there is a massive appetite for authentic love stories.

Such stories are able to highlight the complexities of human relationships, exploring depth and sincerity. ‘Saiyaara’ could revive that interest and bring in a new wave of love stories, but more importantly, inspire creative storytelling across other genres as well. Let there be light that fosters an environment where originality and genuine emotion are rewarded.

May the power of films like Saiyaara serve as a powerful reminder that the magic of cinema still lies in its ability to transport, to evoke strong emotions, and to tell stories that touch the heart.