Saiyaara Review: Ahaan Panday And Aneet Padda's Luminous Presence, Nuanced Performances Elevate This Bumpy Screenplay

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2 days ago

Ahaan Panday's debut can best be compared to Ranbir Kapoor's. With those eloquent eyes and a low baritone voice, he surely has the potential to become the next big thing.
Saiyaara Movie Review: Mohit Suri's Saiyaara is nothing that we haven't seen before. In fact, thematically, in parts, it bears a striking resemblance to two of his earlier directorial outings, Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain. At the same time, it may also remind you a little of Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal's cult classic, Aashiqui. It almost steers towards the 50 First Dates zone as well. So, is there anything original about this script that revolves around a budding rockstar and a sweet innocent girl as star-crossed lovers? Yes and no.
Saiyaara tells the tale of Krish Kapoor and Vaani Batra. The film opens with Vaani waiting at the marriage registration office waiting for her boyfriend, Mahesh Iyer, to arrive. With hope in her eyes and love in her heart, she opens her diary that has pictures of them with beautiful notes attached. But a phone call from him changes everything. He informs her that he has to fly out to the USA for a business deal and that he has fallen in love with someone else and hence, can't marry Vaani. It breaks her heart and the already shy and reticent girl further retreats into a shell.
Six months later, Vaani joins her first job as a music journalist with a magazine where she bumps into a rugged and brash Krish. Her first encounter with him encompasses a broil between him and one of the employees of the magazine. The reason? Krish didn't quite like the fact that a feature story on their rock band Josh only highlights the name of a 'nepo kid'. While leaving, Krish hands Vaani's diary back to her after reading her poems and couplets.
An assignment brings Krish and Vaani close as she helps him pen a composition that he has been putting together in collaboration with an established rap artist, Prince. Opposites attract and Krish and Vaani end up finding emotional confidants in each other. Krish, though a desirable hunk and a competitive musician, has a vulnerable side to him and has been dealing with an alcoholic father.
After their assignment ends, Krish requests Vaani to continue to be with him and help him become a better version of himself. The classic 'a woman is a man's rehabilitation centre' trope! But in the process, Krish ends up becoming her saviour. The film also attempts to explore the classic 'love or career' dilemma. 'Apne pyaar ke liye khud ko khatam mat kar lena,' cautions Krish's friends and father when they learn that he has decided to give up on his blossoming career to be with Vaani.
Much like most of Mohit's earlier works, Saiyaara too delves deep into the raw messiness and grimy complexities of love. The self-destructive nature of a relationship is once again glorified, but hey, who are we to judge! In Mohit's world, love languages may not be as extreme as that in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's but he takes it too far with acts of services. Here, Krish ends up losing himself completely. But that's perhaps how he's wired and that's why he's a true 'saiyaara' or a lonely star that burns itself but lights up the world.
At first, it was his self-destructive dad that he had to take care of and now it's Vaani, who's slowly walking towards death. Maybe the hard life that he has seen has given him a saviour complex. But whatever said and done, Krish is no red flag. When he loves, he loves with all his heart and soul, until his spirit has been rendered completely dry. While Saiyaara is high on the Aashiqui 2 hangover, it's rarely as heart-wrenching and melancholic as the former. But that's not to say that you won't find yourself getting misty-eyed once in a while.
What becomes Saiyaara's weakest link is its bumpy screenplay. The whole climax involving Vaani and her ailment is predictable and that makes the rest of the narrative predictable too. Saiyaara tries to become too many things all at once but ends up becoming a rip off. Sometimes, it burns bright and sometimes, it fizzles. It's packed with some beautiful moments but the rest of it too simplistic. The music, however, deserves a mention, particularly the title track put together by Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami.
But what truly elevates the screenplay is the scintillating chemistry between the lead pair. Mohit taps into the rawness and naivety of Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda and weaves a story with a beating heart. Saiyaara isn't experimental, it isn't novel and it isn't spiffy but it has a lot of heart. Ahaan as Krish does a fantastic job. What an incredible debut! He delivers an act that can make even the experienced and seasoned envious.
With those eloquent eyes and a low baritone voice, he surely has the potential to be the next big thing. Ahaan's debut can best be compared to Ranbir Kapoor's. Both these performances – Ahaan in Saiyaara and Ranbir in Saawariya – bear a testament to the fact that if you have talent that sparkles and shines all the way even in a bumpy film, you're sure to soar.
Aneet also delivers a beautifully nuanced performance. In the second half, when Vaani psychologically spirals, she will move you. She's perfectly restrained even in the emotionally chaotic scenes and moments. Saiyaara, like Saawariya, will be remembered for not much but for giving us some head-turning talents to count on. So, if you're in the mood to wallow in the blues and let it all out, go for Saiyaara, because let's face it, nobody can romanticise heartbreaks as well as Mohit! And let's not forget that it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.
First Published:
July 18, 2025, 16:19 IST
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