Yash Raj Films’ Saiyaara (UA) is a love story. Krish (Ahaan Panday) is a budding singer who dreams of becoming a big name in the world of singing. Vaani (Aneet Padda) is trying to make a career in writing. She also writes lyrics. The two meet and fall in love with one another. Their love has more than its share of ups and downs. The two have their own pasts which they are trying hard to get over. But that’s not easy. And then comes an obstacle which threatens to shake the very foundation of their love story. Do they surmount the obstacles and emerge victorious in love?
Sankalp Sadanah has written a heartfelt story which is so modern yet so rooted in Indian emotions and sentiments that he needs to be lauded for being such a fantastic mix of modernity and traditional values. His screenplay is outstanding. The drama is so fast-paced and so engrossing that it sucks the audience in completely and totally. Within no time, the viewers are rooting for the two love birds. Therefore, when comes the major hurdle in their love story, it hits the audience so hard that in the scenes which follow, many among the viewers will find it difficult to control their tears. The emotions are so strong and so many that they tug at the heart strings at a number of places. The romance between Krish and Vaani is hot and happening so that the viewers marvel at the freshness. Alongside that, the Indian sentiments in the drama are so heart-rending that the viewers would want to pat Sankalp Sadanah on his back for them. Climax is fulfillling and exhilarating. Rohan Shankar’s dialogues are absolute gems. Some of them are so crisp yet so weighty that Rohan Shankar deserves distinction marks for a job fabulously done.
Ahaan Panday is fantastic as Krish. He is handsome and absolutely free in front of the camera. What’s more, he has that starry attitude to qualify to become a top star. Acting-wise, Ahaan is pretty impressive in his debut role. He, however, needs to take more care of his dialogue delivery as some of his dialogues are a bit unclear. Aneet Padda is beautiful and makes a fantastic impression in her debut role as Vaani. She lends her character a lot of grace and she acts naturally. Rajesh Kumar makes a fine mark as Vaani’s father, Mr. Batra. Geeta Agrawal shines as Vaani’s mother. She is terrific in the emotional scenes. Varun Badola has his moments as Krish’s father, Ashok Kapoor. Shaad Randhawa is alright as Prince; he gets limited scope only. Sid Makkar impresses as Prince’s manager, Vinit Rawal. Shaan R. Grover makes a fine impression as Mahesh Iyer. Alam Khan is wonderful as Krish’s friend, manager and band member, KV. Neil Dutta (as band member Cleo Matthews), Yajat Dhingra (as the drummer), Karan Barnabas (as the bass player), Meehir Kukreja (as the key board player) and Shlok Sanjay Chiplunkar (as the DJ) lend fine support. Angad Raj hardly gets any scope as Vaani’s brother. Raunak Kumar Rawat (as Vivaan), Ritika Murthy (as Neha), Mohit Wadhwa (as Rick), Meher Acharia Dar (as Dr. Khyati), and the others lend lovely support.
Mohit Suri’s direction is superb. Full marks to him for juxtapositioning modernity with traditional values so beautifully. He has extracted great work out of the two new lead actors. Music (Mithoon, Sachet-Parampara, Rishabh Kant, Vishal Mishra, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami) is super-hit. The title track (composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami, and penned by Irshad Kamil) is extraordinary and will soon become the new anthem. The ‘Oon oon’ part of the song, which has been used as the background score in some key scenes, is extraordinary. Lyrics (Irshad Kamil, Mithoon, Rishabh Kant and Raj Shekhar) are weighty and deserve praise. Vijay A. Ganguly’s choreography is lovely. John Stewart Eduri’s background music is phenomenal. Vikas Sivaraman’s cinematography is first-rate. Action and stunt scenes (by Aejaz-Gulab) go well with the mood of the film. Laxmi Keluskar and Rajat Poddar’s production designing is of a fine standard. Editing (Devendra Murdeshwar and Rohit Makwana) is super-sharp.
On the whole, Saiyaara is a sureshot super-hit, no questions asked. It will set the box-office on fire.
Released on 18-7-’25 at Inox (daily 8 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay by Yash Raj Film Distributors. Publicity: excellent. Opening: bumper. …….Also released all over. Opening was terrific everywhere.
