There haven’t been too many promotional activities for Saiyaara. It’s a film that stars
two newcomers, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. During the promotions, director
Mohit Suri has been speaking about the comparisons with Rockstar and Aashiqui 2.
He revealed how his wife asked him if he had his own filmmaking style like Sanjay
Leela Bhansali and Pradeep Sarkar. It has been two decades for the filmmaker and
now it seems he has his own voice and versions of telling a story. Its one that
perfectly mixes romance, heartbreak with fabulous soundtracks to boost the
storytelling!
The hero is a reckless maniac, the heroine is a fragile soul bruised inside out. And
just like many of his previous outings, Saiyaara too begins with a heartbreaking
moment.
Saiyaara is the story of two lovers. Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda) is a closet poet and is
all set to get married. After her partner doesn’t arrive for court marriage and dumps
her at the last minute, Vaani is devastated. She stops writing poems. Six months
later, she gets a job as a journalist. This is when she bumps into Krish Kapoor
(Ahaan Pandey).
He’s an aspiring singer but has lot of aggression in him. Krish reads Vaani’s poem
and gets enchanted by it. He asks her to join him to write lyrics for his songs. Both
come closer while working and fall for each other. Sadly, their love story has several
obstacles. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Sankalp Sadanah’s story is excellent. Sankalp Sadanah screenplay is dramatic and
gripping. But it also gives a dejavu of some past films of Mohit Suri. Rohan Shankar’s
dialogues are touching and contribute beautifully to the film.
Mohit Suri’s direction is splendid. He has always been a fine storyteller but watch out
for him here as he has evolved and how! His films usually deal with loneliness,
alcoholism and a lot more and all these aspects are there.
There are endless scenes and montages of chalk and cheese that skim the surface
and never pierce through, and sadly, come across as hollow. And this happens
despite your wish to root for them. Both have a gloomy past, so pain becomes their
drive.
And maybe that’s why neither of the two cracks a smile for a full hour. But after a
point, we realise why Vaani is the way she is. And there’s something heartfelt about
the way Padda plays this character. One must give it to the filmmaker for the way he
stages his female characters. They not only have more meat but far more agency
and control over their characters.
But at the same time, there’s a lot more to the story. Thankfully, the makers didn’t
give out the plot in the trailer. Viewers will be astonished with the interval block and
kudos to the makers for keeping it hidden.
Ahaan Panday makes a terrific debut. His screen presence is electrifying and he
shines the most in emotional scenes. Aneet Padda will surprise as her character is
very challenging and she pulls it off pretty well.
The chemistry of both is very enticing as well. Alam Khan (KV) leaves a huge mark.
Geeta Agarwal (Vaani’s mother), Rajesh Kumar (Vaani’s father), Varun Badola
(Krish’s father), Shaad Randhawa (Prince), Sid Makkar (Vinit Rawal; manager),
Shaan R Grover (Mahesh Iyer) and Neil Dutta (Cleo) lend able support.
Some scenes that stand out are Krish’s dramatic entry, Vaani admonishing Krish for
not being able to pen the lyrics, Vaani confessing about her past while Krish plays
cricket. Post-interval, the madness that occurs backstage is very dramatic. The pre
climax is gripping while the finale is moving.
Raghav’s Final Take
On the whole, SAIYAARA is a stirring musical saga elevated by Mohit Suri’s deft
direction, heartfelt romance, chart-topping music, and stellar lead performances. It
strikes a perfect chord between emotion and spectacle, ensuring a captivating
cinematic experience.
Ahaan Pandey delivers a performance that’s raw, intense and heartfelt. Hes the most
endearing memory from this fabulous Mohit Suri directorial! He has delivered a
performnce that’s probably on par with Hrithik Roshans super blockbuster debut
‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’. He will stay in your mind for the rawness & unhinged nature of
his role as Krishh Kapoor!
One wonders how he will back this up, considering Bollywood off late has struggled
to stay afloat in terms of content and genuine heartfelt storytelling that goes beyonnd
boundaries and has that large audience content? Be it ‘Metro In Dino’ and now
‘Saiyaara’ its pleasing & satisfying to see filmmakers opting to back to the form of
storytelling that Bollywood has managed to have a strong grip on over the year;
Romantic Drama with songs that stay well beyond the movie!
The future looks bright for Ahaan Pandey for sure and personally as someone who
has rated Mohit Suri’s direction skills from a long time, probably sheerly by making
such a compelling movie with relative newcomers could very well take him to next
league of directors in Bollywood!
Courtesy: Written by Raghav Ravichandran