Saiyaara: 4 Reasons Why Mohit Suri’s Hero Ahaan Panday Has Become Overnight Star & Internet’s Darling | Bollywood News

Last Updated:July 24, 2025, 04:26 IST

What explains the frenzy around Saiyaara’s Ahaan Panday? Despite being away from public glare, the admiration surrounding him keeps increasing as does his Instagram follower-base.

Saiyaara’s golden run at the box office continues. At present, it has crossed the coveted Rs 150 crore club, a feat very few actors can dream about. Having broken many box office records and setting new norms for the industry, this Mohit Suri directorial gave audiences nation’s two new crushes – Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Their chemistry has set new goals for this Gen-Z audience, with girls going gaga over Ahaan and his effortless charm. The industry has also been showering him with immense love – Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Ranveer Singh to name a few.

Social media is abuzz with videos of the young actor being his affable self – right from his old Dubsmash videos to new and endearing videos from sister Alanna Panday’s vlogs – and his Instagram follower-base is continuing to grow. Having worked as an assistant director on Mardaani 2 and The Railway Men, Ahaan decided to go off-the-radar and stay away from social media, quietly concentrating on building a career in the movies. And though Mohit wasn’t completely impressed with him initially, Ahaan managed to grab his attention, thus landing the role of the protagonist in Saiyaara.

Let’s now take a quick look at what makes Ahaan the internet’s latest obsession and subject of massive fan frenzy:

Resurgence of the romantic hero

This is the age of action thrillers and political-motivated patriotic films. Every Friday brings to us yet another larger-than-life action hero, who doesn’t bat his eyelids before taking down a gang of goons with death-defying action sequences. At a time like this, Saiyaara, a mopey love story, has come as a breath of fresh air. The industry and the audience were awaiting the arrival of a romantic hero and Ahaan’s entrance seems to be a classic case of being at the right place at the right time.

His Krish Kapoor is a rugged charmer. And he loves with all his heart. With a guitar in his hand and pain in his eyes, he has truly emerged as a modern-day lover boy. When his lady love fails to recognise him, a heartbroken and misty-eyed Krish plants a kiss on her forehead (of course, with consent). He shares a scintillating chemistry with Aneet. Plus, videos of him doing the rounds on the internet that show him grooving effortlessly to the beats of a timeless track makes him desirable.

Could he be our modern-day Shah Rukh Khan? Those are big shoes to fill. But at least, we finally have a Gen-Z romantic hero, who will sweep you off your feet!

Noteworthy acting chops

Ahaan has been winning raving reviews for his debut act in Saiyaara. Years of training and patience have surely borne a sweet, sweet fruit. Even in the most emotionally dramatic and chaotic scenes, his restraint is palpable. His screen presence is luminous. His quite vulnerability and eloquent pair of eyes are signs of masculinity that isn’t quite afraid to embrace its flaws and emotionality. In Saiyaara, he truly delivers an act that can make even the experienced and seasoned envious.

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. It’s understandable why the film achieved the feat for being the highest grossing film featuring debutants.

The enigma factor

Saiyaara has managed to break old records and set many new ones with a unique and clever promotional strategy. These feats have happened without the actors being exposed to the public glare and without any traditional publicity and marketing approach – zero interviews, zero city visits, no reels, no influencer content. That’s what perhaps explains this euphoria and frenzy surrounding this new actor, Ahaan. This secrecy and limited visibility (only through old Dubsmash videos and Alanna’s vlogs) have definitely amped up the intrigue surrounding him.

At a time when actors go all out to promote their films – engaging in multi-city tours and mall visits – Ahaan is a strong reminder of the old times when actors were elusive. And that directly translated into footfalls in theatres. And even with the massive success the film has and continues to witness, Ahaan along with Aneet has pretty much continued to stay away from limelight. No success interviews, limited paparazzi videos, zero theatre visits. Smart move!

Boy next door

What’s interesting is despite this elusiveness, Ahaan has struck a chord with the audience with his boy next image. History has proven that it goes a long way in creating a connection between an actor and his fans. It largely worked for Salman Khan in his initial few films. The same can also be said about Ranveer Singh (until, of course, Sanjay Leela Bhansali came into the picture). There are ample videos of Ahaan shyly interacting with the paparazzi that have re-emerged that further are giving an impetus to this image.

In fact, in a recent video clip, Ahaan can be seen getting dumbfounded on being asked about his haircare routine. Head & Shoulders, oiling by mum Deanne Panday and body soap – he answers. His easy charm, affable personality (especially in his interactions with nephew River) and inherent likeability that doesn’t try too hard appears refreshing in a day, age and space often dominated by stylised swagger. His USP is his simplicity, the kind that makes him stand out.

Titas Chowdhury

Titas Chowdhury is a Principal Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringing break…Read More

Titas Chowdhury is a Principal Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringing break… Read More

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