China's youth building AI, India's busy crying over Saiyaara: Internet flooded with memes from F35 jets to new virus alert

Economic Times

22-07-2025

While Saiyaara, starring debutant Ahaan Panday, continues to draw audiences to theatres and perform well at the box office, it has also triggered a wave of memes and social media commentary. Netizens on X (formerly Twitter) are mocking the film's emotional appeal and contrasting it with global trends — with one viral tweet reading, 'China's youth building AI, India's busy crying over Saiyaara.'The film Saiyaara, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, continues to perform well at the box office. But online, reactions have taken a different route, one marked by satire, sarcasm, and sharp memes.
One user posted: "British Royal Navy's F-35 decided to leave India after seeing #Saiyaara theatre videos." — utkarshv13 (@utkarshv13) — itshitaaaaaa (@itshitaaaaaa)
Another tweet read: "Modi sarkaar savdhaan, Bharat mein Saiyaara revolution chalu hogya."
— AmritTi86236167 (@AmritTi86236167) Some netizens questioned the online criticism, with one asking: — Memeswalaladka (@Memeswalaladka) "Why is Saiyaara getting this much hate on social media's, it is performing well on the box-office, am I missing something? #SaiyaaraMovie"From emotional breakdowns to virus jokesThe memes took a darker turn with jokes likening the film to a virus. A popular post stated:"Corona is the second most dangerous virus. First is Saiyaara." — abhithecomic (@abhithecomic) Some memes compared students' emotional states: — JitenderKa21156 (@JitenderKa21156) "Log Saiyaara dekh kar ro rhe hain, ham exam ka syllabus dekh kar."China vs India: Youth comparison becomes meme templateSeveral users began contrasting India's emotional movie-goers with China's tech-driven youth, drawing exaggerated comparisons to make their point.One viral Hindi post read:"चीन का युवा ; सुबह ब्रिज बनाता है, शाम को रोबोट चलाता है, रात को किताब पढ़ता हैहमारा बेरोजगार गांडू युवा 🤡 ; सुबह थंबनेल बनाता है, दोपहर में रील डालता है, रात को #Saiyaara पर रोता है"Another tweet added:"China ka youth world-class infrastructure bana rahe hai. America ka youth AI jaisa future-ready tech develop kar raha hai. Aur India ke youth Saiyaara dekhkar theatre me ro rahe hai."Mixed public moodNot all reactions have been critical or sarcastic. Some users defended the film, praising its emotional core and performances. However, the volume and variety of memes continue to dominate the online narrative.One user summed up the confusion:"Saiyaara dekhne gayi thi lekin theatre jaake bhul gayi konsi movie dekhni thi."Another wrote:"We need vaccine for Saiyaara."Social commentary in disguiseWhile the memes are entertaining, they also reflect deeper concerns among young Indians around aspiration, productivity, and cultural priorities. For now, Saiyaara remains at the centre of internet humour, even as it holds strong at the box office.
Whether this moment passes as a joke or leads to more reflection, one thing is clear — Saiyaara is more than just a film; it's become a meme-worthy moment for the digital generation.