Saiyaara producer denies planting crying, emotionally-charged fans in theatres: ‘These are genuine fan reactions'

Indian Express

31-07-2025

Mohit Suri's directorial Saiyaara has surprised many with its strong performance at the box office. Audience reactions from theatres have also been going viral on social media, with several videos showing extreme emotional responses — one person was even seen arriving at a theatre with an IV drip, while others were captured crying uncontrollably or even fainting.
While many considered these reactions to be genuine, a section of the internet speculated that it was all a marketing ploy by the makers of the film, accusing them of planting fans in the audience to promote the movie. However, the film's producer has now set the record straight.
In an interaction with India Today, Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani, whose banner produced the film, refuted all such claims and said, 'None of those people were planted in theatres.'
He added, 'Whether it's the person on a drip, the one yelling at the screen, or the guy who took off his shirt and danced – these are genuine fans reacting with real emotions. It's funny when you start receiving calls from people telling you how much they cried, and you're actually thanking them for it. You find yourself saying, 'We're happy you cried,' because that's the kind of emotional connection Mohit has managed to create after so long. This experience of going to the cinema and feeling something so deeply – I honestly can't remember the last time it happened.'
In a recent interview with SCREEN, Mohit Suri opened up about how YRF came on board as the producers of Saiyaara. 'I don't think we make our films, our films make themselves. I had directed the sequel of an action franchise — Ek Villain Returns (2022) — and it had not done well. There were a bunch of big-budget, larger-than-life movies being made around then. I was halfway through writing an action movie when I realised that so many films are blowing up helicopters and buildings. I decided to make a romantic musical with newcomers instead. I asked my assistant Sankalp Sadanah to write this movie and got Rohan Shankar to write the dialogues. One day, I bumped into Sumanna Ghosh of YRF and she asked if I've the script of a love story. Within a week, they called me and Adi Sir told me that they were looking for a movie like this,' he said.
In its 13 days of release, Saiyaara has earned Rs 413 crore worldwide. It marked debut of actor Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda.