Ahaan Panay, Aneet Padda's Saiyaara roars at box office with Rs...; creates history as it surpasses Kabir Singh and...

Saiyaara, that hit the theatres on July 18, broke box office records for Bollywood's debut-led love dramas with an opening weekend gross of Rs 83 crore. Saiyaara, which is directed by Mohit Suri, made Rs 21 crore on Friday, Rs 25 crore on Saturday, and Rs 37 crore on Sunday. That three-day total surpasses Aashiqui 2's Rs 20.5 crore, despite its eventual blockbuster status, and surpasses Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh, which earned Rs 70.83 crore in its first weekend. For the unversed, Saiyaara brings Mohit Suri and Yash Raj Films, both of whom are renowned for telling classic love tales, for the first time.

What makes Saiyaara's performance historic?

In addition to the number, Saiyaara's performance is noteworthy since it features debutantes Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. "This is the biggest opening for a debut-led romantic drama in Bollywood history," Sacnilk reported. It also reported that the movie had witnessed widespread houseful shows and strong national occupancy.

How Ahaan Panday landed the role in Saiyaara?

Actor Chunky Panday's nephew, Ahaan Panday, got the prole in an unconventional way. Suri was still unsure even after Aditya Chopra proposed his name, until an unusual pub gathering. "By the end of the night, he was sitting on the bar not the chair, the bar itself and that's when I realized, this is my guy," Suri recounted.

The female lead of Saiyaara was Aneet Padda, who gained early recognition for her performance in Big Girls Don't Cry. Her expressive range is said to be what landed her the role, while less is known about her casting.

Saiyaara sets new benchmark for romantic debuts

Saiyaara's romantic tone puts it firmly in the tradition of hits like Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain, both of which were earlier Suri successes, even though its genre is different from action-heavy outliers like Animal, which made Rs 200 crore in three days. Saiyaara joins the director's growing array of box office successes, which already includes Murder 2 (Rs 47.9 crore), Ek Villain (Rs 105.6 crore), and Aashiqui 2 (Rs 78.4 crore).