“Abhi Kuch Pal Baaki Hain Mere Paas“
Overview
Lambe time baad theatre mein aisa laga ki picture dekh raha hu, project nahi. No gimmicks, no formula, pure cinema. Wo pre-pandemic wali feeling. Kisi ko kam acchi lagi ho, kisi ko zyada, wo toh personal feeling hai. But best baat ye tha ki film honesty se banai gayi hai. Credit goes to both the director and producer.
Spoiler Warning
This review will have some spoilers. So if you are just loocking for the verdict or recommendation to decide if you wish to watch it in theatres on not, skip to the last paragraph. Kyuki, “Saiyaara Matlab, Taaro Mein Ek Tanha Taara.”
WHAT A DEBUT
It’s 2025 and the biggest debut for Bollywood till now was Hrithik Roshan for Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai but now Ahaan Panday entered and really created history. This was really unexpected that suddenly a romantic film released with no expectations and it just erupted in the theatres.
Mohit (co-author of this article) was in a morning show of 10 AM in Mumbai and the most shocking part was that it was almost 70 percent occupancy in the morning show only, which is not a regular case.
I went to a 7 PM show in Noida, in a theatre which is generally not visited by many as the mall is old and almost empty/out of business. I went there because I could not find good seats in any of the PVR, bas aage aage ki bachi thi and I like to have good seats, I have a preference. So even in that show, in a less visited theatre, there was 85% occupancy. Itni bheed saalo se nahi dekhi waha pe.
This proves Mohit Suri did the right thing by introducing Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda with Saiyaara. We have said this before also at the time of the teaser review it gives Aashiqui vibes and now audiences clicked with this movie. Looks like the romance genre is coming back in Bollywood now. Now let’s move towards the review.
Ahaan Panday
There is only one thing people expect from a debutant or a nepo kid, and that is acting. So yes, Ahaan can act and he can act beautifully. What is acting, you say? An actor should look like the part he is playing, he should sound like it, when he is expressing a feeling, it should look natural, not like he is forcing it.
Ahaan hits all the right chords. He is not bad in any scene. It does not feel like he is trying. He is a very good actor and if he chooses his scripts well, he can do wonders. Aapne notice kiya hoga iss baar log nepotism ke naare nahi laga rahe because this time it’s genuinely a great debut. In fact, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, also didn’t get this level of debut. Not even Ananya Panday.
The best part – Ahaan can express through his eyes. This is where most new-gen actors fail. The last part where he is playing cricket in the snow, he really conveyed the emotion. It felt like he was breaking down over there and we, as audience were breaking down with him. And then.. accha ye wala part aage batata hu.
Aneet Padda
I fell for Aneet Padda from the teaser itself aur film ke baad toh pyaar ho gaya.
She’s truly a star in the making. Her screen presence, her acting, her expressions, everything was just perfect.
In Aashiqui 2, I remember the girls cried a lot and this was even discussed a lot. College mein bhi discuss karti thi ki yaar main bahaut royi aur hum ladke sochte the kya pagal ladkiyaan hain. Bhai is bar ulta ho ho gaya. Kyuki is bar ladki marr rahi thi (Alzheimer’s is not a deadly disease but its close to that). Toh ab ja ke wo feeling samajh ayi.
The chemistry between Ahaan and Aneet was phenomenal, proving their acting capability. You will surely love them.
Other Cast
Alam Khan as KV has done shows like Shake It Up, Kota Factory and a few others. In Saiyaara, he didn’t get much screentime but he’s a good actor. He played the part of a true friend to Ahaan Panday, who showed loyalty in every scene.
Varun Badola as Krish’s father had a small but impactful role. It leaves a mark and teaches some life lessons.
Apart from this, Rajesh Kumar, Geeta Agarwal, and others did a fine job. Acting wise there are no complaints.
Special mention for actor Shaad Randhawa – In Saiyaara he plays a role of a Rockstar. Till now he’s been a part of a lot of Mohit Suri films like – Aashiqui 2, Ek Villain, Awarapan, Malang and more.
Music
Me to music in every Mohit Suri film – Tujhko Pukaaruuuuuuuu uuuu uuuu.
Jokes apart, Music plays an important role in any Indian film, but when it’s Mohit Suri, music becomes the soul of the film. All songs were outstanding. No complaints in music.
Tum Ho Toh by Vishal Mishra is going to be next Pehli Bhi Main for Vishal’s career.
Saiyaara title track will make you cry in theatres. Salute to Faheem Abdullah Tanishk Bagchi and team for composing such a soul-touching song.
Barbaad by Jubin Nautiyal matches with the situation perfectly.
Dhun by Arijit and Mithoon was cherry on the top.
I mean after all it’s a Mohit Suri film so how can they miss Arijit and Mithoon. Terrific Aashiqui combo.
Visual Appeal
The cinematography is very good. Not just the songs, but a lot of frames are beautiful, which convey the emotions very well. You may not notice is actively, but these things affect your experience subconsciously. It was a treat to watch Saiyaara on the big screen.
Story Telling and Direction
Great direction and storytelling. You are hooked to the screen throughout. The music has been blended beautifully. It’s an immersive experience like we used to have years ago, but is mostly missing in post-pandemic times. Saiyaara is cinema, not a manufactured project.
I like that they did not reveal the core plot of Alzheimer’s in the trailer. Mohit Suri executed the twists and turns, that feeling of Ahaan when Aneet forgets, calls him Mahesh, yet he hugs her, those parts were so beautifully done. Emotion hi to convey karna hota hai aur kya emotion convey kiya hai.
Main normally rota nahi hu. But in this film there were so many moments where it was difficult for me to hold my tears. Nahi roya finally. But it was very difficult. Kuch connect kar gaya. Kaafi logon ko kiya hoga, I believe.
Audience Reaction
The fact that Yrf did not do the regular interviews and press tours with the debut actors also worked in its favor. The mystery created interest and people got interested in the actors even more. The teaser and trailer, were good but not that great that they would generate this much hype. The real magic was done by the songs.
I heard that in many shows people were recording the songs, waving flashlights like they do in concerts and even singing the songs along. Wo toh nahi tha mere show mein, but jo general seeti, taali, sahi jagah pe sabka hasna, kahi pe wo 100 logon ka ek sath Ohhhh nikalna, wo sab tha mere theatre mein. Like I said, community experience ke liye theatre jao.
Remember upar likha tha wo snow mein cricket khelne wala scene? Krish was breaking down because Vaani had forgotten everything, and we were breaking down with him. And then out of the blue, Vaani shouts, “I love you, Krish Kapoor”. At that point Everyone cheered. Seetiya, taaliya, ekdum stadium level feel.
Socho wo galdi acting karta, wo film bekar hoti, hum characters se connect nahi kar pate, toh kya ye reaction ata? Hota hai na kuch bekar filmo mein ki hero ka koi khas marr jata hai aur hume feel hi nahi hota. Kyuki sara focus toh aura, stadom, aur goosebumps pe chala gaya hota hai, core filmmaking aspects pe nahi. That is why I’m impressed with Saiyaara and I’m calling it cinema.
Real Collections or PR or Corporate Booking ?
Pehli baat toh ye Jo tu tiktok tiktok chalti hai ki fark kya padta hai? Film dekhne se matlab hai, enjoy karne se matla ha ya collections se? Kitna kamaya se apki life mein kya fark padega? The only concern should be, “ki film acchi hai ya nahi, maza ayega ya nahi, main theatre jau ya nahi.”
Dusri baat, theatre jaya karo. Kuch keh rahe hain ott pe dekhunga kuch leak ka wait kar rahe hain. Khud jate nahi hain aur collections pe sabko judge karte hain. Ye kya baat hui?
See we don’t know what’s the reality but what I personally noticed is that theatres are genuinely houseful. The movie did connect with the audience. For debutant actors, last it was Dhadak which had a collection of 8 to 9 crores, but Saiyaara did 19 to 20 crores for the first day. Saturday and Sunday numbers might shock you.
The movie is going to open with more numbers than Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn’s film. And on top of that, Saiyaar has the second-highest advance booking in 2025. Chhaava is still on top.
As of now everything looks real but yes PR was required to boost the film and they did it organically. They offered 50 percent discounts on day 1, but they stopped the offer mid-day. Now let’s wait for Saturday and Sunday numbers because no offers are there on the weekend.
Final Verdict
Saiyaara is a strong, passionate, romantic musical drama film with promising debutant actors. This movie definitely deserves to be watched on big screens. Don’t wait for ott or leaks, because you will not get the experience of a full theatre anywhere else. All songs are a big treat to witness on the big screen.
OCD Times Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author: Ishan Jain and Mohit Khetwani
Cast – Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda
Director – Mohit Suri
Release – 18 July 2025
Produced by – Akshaye Widhani, Presented by Aditya Chopra
Studio – Yash Raj Films
Also check out: Dhadak 2 Trailer Review – All 3 Acts Revealed ?
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