Saiyaara writer breaks silence on Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer being lifted from Korean classic A Moment To Remember: ‘Watch both and judge for yourself'

Time of India

a day ago

's Saiyaara is basking in box office glory, having grossed over Rs 500 crore globally. But even as the romantic drama continues to draw audiences, a cloud of controversy has loomed over its success.
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A section of viewers has accused the film of being lifted from the Korean classic A Moment To Remember.
Now, the film's writer Sankalp Sadanah has addressed the allegations head-on.
In a conversation with trade analyst Komal Nahta, Sankalp clarified that Saiyaara is not a copy of any pre-existing work. He said, 'Honestly, so much has already been said about this. All I can say is—the Korean film is out there, and so is Saiyaara.
Watch both and judge for yourself. You'll be able to tell whether it's inspired, a copy, or an original.'
The seed was planted on a rainy day in Bandra
Tracing the genesis of the story, Sankalp revealed that the core idea for Saiyaara emerged during a casual meeting with director Mohit Suri. He recalled how a brief chat in Suri's Bandra office, amid discussions of another film, became the turning point.
'There was talk of a sequel to a different project—Aashiqui 3, to be precise,' he said.
'It was raining when we came back from a meeting. As I was about to leave, Mohit asked me to stay back and listen to something. He shared an idea and asked me if it was worth building into a film.'
'Saiyaara' breaks lifetime records of 'War' and 'Dunki' by crossing ₹500 cr worldwide in 18 days.
'No story, no screenplay—just a feeling'
According to the debutant writer, the story of Saiyaara wasn't born out of structure or plot, it stemmed from emotion.
'That discussion gave birth to the core of Saiyaara. At that time, there was no story, no screenplay—just a feeling. The seed of the film came from a single emotional thought, a line that appears in the film: 'A hit song isn't the one that stays in your head; it's the one that stays in your heart.' That was the emotion we built everything else around,' he explained.
For those unaware, Saiyaara features
and
in the lead roles. The film not only marked a dream debut for the two young stars but also proved to be a goldmine for
, raking in record profits and becoming one of the biggest hits of the year.