'Saiyaara': Why Mohit Suri 'pretended' to like Ahaan Panday's audition
14 Jun 2025

In a recent interview with Filmfare, acclaimed director Mohit Suri opened up about casting Ananya Panday's cousin Ahaan Panday alongside Aneet Padda in his upcoming film Saiyaara.

He revealed that both actors auditioned for their roles, but he wasn't initially completely convinced by Ahaan's audition.

To make a final decision, he decided to meet Ahaan outside of work.

It was just a normal, organic process, says Suri
Casting process

Suri said, "Shanoo Sharma, who heads the YRF casting, showed me auditions. It's as simple as that. It was just a normal, organic process that you show auditions and you meet."

"Ahaan, on the other hand — when I saw his audition, I was still not sure. So I actually pretended like I liked him... I didn't tell him he is in the film, but I told him 'let's go out for dinner.'"

Suri 'tested' Ahaan during dinner
Character match

Suri continued, "We were supposed to go out for dinner for one hour, but we stayed out all night. I think when the camera goes off, and when you see someone's not on job, that is when the test actually happens."

"So I cheated — I tested him when the camera was not running, and I actually kind of figured out how he is. What he was behaving outside the studio was very much what the film required."

'Saiyaara' to hit theaters next month
Film details

Saiyaara marks the Bollywood debut of Ahaan and also stars Padda as the female lead. The film is produced by Akshaye Widhani.

The movie will hit the theaters on July 18, 2025.

The makers have been keeping fans engaged with songs from the film, including the recently released music video for Barbaad.