In Just Seven Days, Ahaan Panday And Aneet Padda's Saiyaara Becomes The Surprise Success Story Of 2025

NDTV

3 days ago

New Delhi:
What do you get when you combine a debutant hero, a dreamy love story and a filmmaker who hasn't dabbled in box office records in a while? Apparently, a full-blown blockbuster.
When Saiyaara released on July 18, not many outside the industry knew what to expect. Ahaan Panday, stepping into the limelight for the first time, and Aneet Padda, still early in her career, were not exactly household names.
Yet, within days, theatres across India began buzzing with an energy rarely seen for romantic dramas anymore, especially those without an established superstar on the poster.
And now, barely a week into its run, Saiyaara is not just being watched, it's being witnessed. It's the kind of theatrical phenomenon fans can call their own, a film that's making them weep, cheer and, more importantly, return to theatres in numbers that even the biggest franchises haven't managed this year.
The Romance That Set The Box Office On Fire
Directed by Mohit Suri and backed by Yash Raj Films, Saiyaara has become one of the most exhilarating success stories of 2025. Right from Day 1, the film signalled a seismic shift in audience sentiment.
With an impressive Rs 21 crore opening in India, the romantic drama set a new benchmark for debutant-led films, easily surpassing the previous record held by Dhadak (Rs 8.76 crore). But it didn't stop there. The opening weekend alone brought in approximately Rs 84.5 crore nett, earning it a spot in the Top 5 opening weekends of the year.
The fact that a romantic film, without any marquee stars, crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in India within the opening weekend is no small feat.
It now officially holds the record for the highest opening weekend for a Hindi romantic film, ahead of the likes of Kabir Singh, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and T eri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. These weren't just overtaken; they were outpaced by a film that didn't even crack the top three on most trade prediction lists.
Another feather in Saiyaara's cap is how efficiently it has been distributed. Despite having just 8,000 screenings across India, less than half the number some commercial films receive, it managed to sell nearly 10 lakh tickets on Day 1 alone.
Advance bookings were equally robust, raking in Rs 9.39 crore before release. In major chains like PVR INOX and Cinepolis, tickets flew off the counters, with many shows running housefull through the weekend.
One Of The Best Openings Of The Year
What makes Saiyaara's journey even more astonishing is the consistency it has shown throughout the week. After a spectacular opening weekend, the film continued its march with daily collections hovering in the Rs 20-25 crore range.
On Day 7, even as it dipped slightly to Rs 18.75 crore, it still outperformed most releases from this year, including star-led vehicles like Kesari Chapter 2 and Metro In Dino. Its total India nett collection for the first week stands at Rs 172.5 crore.
Occupancy rates reflected this unrelenting momentum. Morning shows opened at 19.74%, climbing steadily through the day and peaking at over 40% during night shows.
Second-Highest Week 1 Collection Of 2025
By the end of its first week, Saiyaara comfortably secured its spot as the second-highest opening week grosser of 2025, just behind the historical action drama Chhaava, which earned approximately Rs 219.25 crore in its first seven days.
Saiyaara, with its Rs 172.5 crore nett, stands ahead of high-budget, star-studded releases like Housefull 5 (Rs 127.25 crore), Sikandar (Rs 115 crore) and Sky Force (Rs 99.7 crore).
Notably, it also beat the week-one collection of Raid 2, starring Ajay Devgn, which had reached around Rs 95.75 crore and Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par (Rs 88.46 crore).
Even overseas, Saiyaara is performing exceptionally well. Its global box office total crossed Rs 248 crore by the end of the first week, Rs 205 crore gross from India and an additional Rs 43.25 crore from international markets.
Ahaan Panday's Debut Is Anything But Quiet
In terms of pure star-making moments, few launches in recent memory have had the kind of impact that Ahaan Panday's debut is having.
Within a week, trade insiders are already calling this the most successful male debut since Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.
Ahaan's first film has already outgrossed the debut films of Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra (Student of the Year) and even his cousin Ananya Panday (Student of the Year 2).
Romance Isn't Dead, It's Just Called Saiyaara
If 2025 marks the revival of Bollywood romance, Saiyaara is its undisputed flag-bearer. Earlier this year, re-releases of cult hits like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Sanam Teri Kasam drew surprising crowds. But Saiyaara has gone several steps further; it didn't rely on nostalgia, it created its own legacy in real-time.
The Bottom Line
With Rs 172.5 crore in India nett and Rs 248 crore worldwide in just 7 days, Saiyaara currently stands at No. 2 on the list of highest first-week grossers of 2025 and is well on its way to joining the Rs 300 crore club, if current trends hold.
In a year packed with sequels, spy universes and testosterone-fuelled actioners, Saiyaara has proved that a simple, soulful love story with the right packaging and performances can still reign supreme. And somewhere, amid all the data and broken records, is a wide-eyed debutant who just rewrote the rules of the game.