Latest news with #Suri
News18
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Is This Actor Mohit Suri's Lucky Mascot?
1/8 We are talking about Shaan Randhawa. He played the role of Aditya Roy Kapur's best friend in Aashiqui 2. In Ek Villain, Shaad played the role of ACP Aditya Rathore. And now, in Saiyaara, Shaad played the role of a musician named Prince. It is through him Krrish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday) and Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda) cross paths. (Image: Instagram) In an old interview, Suri described Randhawa as his "lucky mascot" and "emotional anchor" on set. "Shaad isn't in my films because of any compulsion or strategy. He's there because he brings a sense of comfort and positive energy that lifts everyone around him," Suri was quoted as saying. (Image: Instagram) He has also been part of two TV series - Chandrakanta (2017-18) and Kumkum Bhagya (2018-19). (Image: IMDb)
The Print
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Print
Saiyaara proves star kids don't need hype, just a good film and a killer soundtrack
The film relied on one star—the music. Suri, known for his films Zeher (2005), Woh Lamhe (2006), and Aashiqui 2 (2013), has let his films' music do the talking. Each of these films had a breakout song that pushed the film to audiences. Be it ' Woh Lamhe' from Zeher to ' Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai' of Woh Lamhe and ' Tum Hi Ho' from Aashiqui 2 , Suri's films capture the mood of heartbreak like no other in their album. The star-crossed lovers, the looming tragedy, and the music have all been done before by Suri. Gen Z has now succumbed to what was millennial 'poison'. The film's unprecedented opening even had Ajay Devgn scramble to postpone the release of his film Son of Sardaar 2 from 25 July to 1 August. Mohit Suri's Saiyaara is a lesson in successfully launching new actors. The film did not hold press conferences, 'exclusive' interviews, or have its lead pair jet-setting across cities to interact with crowds. Instead, it opted for radio silence. It banked on the release alone. The movie had a box office opening of Rs 21.5 crore , and has now crossed the 100-crore mark before completing the first week of its release. Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda stole the thunder when it came to making a memorable big-screen debut. Learning from others' mistakes While most star kids were launched with an overdose of PR appearances, from doing a hook step of their movie's title track to being part of creators' videos, Saiyaara's lead cast was conspicuous through their absence from social media. The PR team clearly decided to learn from others' mistakes. Ahaan Panday had a blink-and-miss appearance in his sister Alanna's wedding and was absent from her Prime Video show, The Tribe (2024). In contrast, his cousin Ananya Panday was everywhere before and during her debut in Student of the Year 2 (2019). Her social media already had a massive follower count, and she was seen rubbing shoulders with the who's who of Bollywood. More recently, massive social media hype was built before Ibrahim Ali Khan made his debut with Nadaaniyan (2025). In 2023, content related to The Archies (2023) was all anyone could spot on social media before it launched Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, and Agastya Nanda. Both films not only failed spectacularly, but also inspired memes that were more memorable than their debuts. Junaid Khan, whose debut film Maharaj (2024) failed to make much impact except for a court case filed against it, tried the PR hype with his romantic film Loveyapa (2025) with Khushi Kapoor. After their respective disastrous debuts, both Kapoor and Khan were given a makeover of sorts and went on every conceivable platform doing the hook step of the film's title track. What it actually led to was a slew of parody videos, making fun of how uncomfortable the duo looked selling their film to audiences. When placed in this context, Ahaan and Aneet appeared refreshingly unknown, and made an impact as the characters they play—the 'troubled' rockstar and his demure, writer girlfriend. People have sobbed, whistled, and clapped to the two actors' performances in packed theatres. Also read: Is reading news destroying your femininity? Instagram reels say so Rise of new icons The PR machinery started its work after the movie's release. Ahaan and Aneet are being given the monikers of national crush and heartthrob. Reviews may say they need to do more work on their craft, but they are Gen Z icons already. Social media posts with Aneet's old ads to clips of Ahaan at some family function, and childhood photos are circulating online, adding fuel to the box office dominance. The only pre-release hype was when Suri went on to say in an interview that Saiyaara was originally meant to be Aashiqui 3, the sequel to his hit tearjerker Aashiqui 2. The title song did the rest of the work as Irshad Kamil's songwriting made its way into Instagram, and broken-hearted lovers used it as their audio for both reels and posts. Soon, the trailer was released and the audience had fallen hook, line, and sinker. The packed theatres were inevitable. It really is less is more at play, and other PR teams should take detailed notes. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Mohit Suri started crying when a senior music composer ruined 'Woh Lamhe' from 'Zeher', Mukesh Bhatt started laughing, here's how Mithoon finally came on board
Filmmaker Mohit Suri is celebrating two big milestones — his new romantic drama Saiyaara has earned over Rs 132 crore at the Indian box office in just five days, and he has also completed 20 years in the Hindi film industry. Suri started his journey as a director in 2005 with Zeher, a romantic drama starring Emraan Hashmi and Shamita Shetty. Although Zeher didn't do well at the box office, its music became very popular. One song in particular, 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein,' sung by Atif Aslam , became a timeless romantic hit. But at first, Suri didn't like how the song sounded. 'I remember clearly, I had heard the programming of 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein' by a very senior music director. And I got very depressed because he'd ruined the song. And I started crying. So, Mukesh ji started laughing at me. He said, 'Stop, you don't have to cry and all. We'll do something.' I was 22-23 years old,' Suri said in a chat with music composer Mithoon for SCREEN. Mukesh Bhatt , the film's producer, then took Suri to meet another music director. By chance, they ran into Naresh Sharma , a well-known music arranger and Bhatt's old collaborator. Bhatt had great respect for Sharma and spoke about his past work. 'He exchanged the hellos and his with Naresh ji, came back to me, and gave me a whole brief on how your father was instrumental in the music and background score of Aashiqui (1990) and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo He was the main person who arranged the music of Aashiqui,' Suri told Mithoon. Naresh Sharma then mentioned that his son, Mithoon, also did background scores. Bhatt suggested that Suri meet him. 'I said hi to you, I don't think you even looked at me. You were so into your music that you went back into it. I don't think you cared at that time. Your dad insisted these youngsters should work together. You were 19, I guess,' Suri recalled. He added, 'There was some honesty in the way you were doing it. If you looked at me properly, socialized with me — I mean I was a nobody, I hadn't done anything — but Mukesh Bhatt, who's known for his music, if you'd overdone that, (I wouldn't have worked with you). But you were so spiritual about your music.' That's how Mithoon ended up composing the final version of 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein.
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First Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
'Saiyaara' director Mohit Suri on working with Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda amid its success: 'Was discouraged by a lot of senior people saying...'
Talking about the haunting soundtrack of his films that always remain etched in people's minds, the filmmaker said, 'Music was a matter of survival.' read more The success of Saiyaara hasn't come easy for director Mohit Suri. It's his first major success since the 2014 Ek Villain. The filmmaker has finally found his groove back and how. He has birthed two new stars in the form of Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday. And in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Suri revealed how he was discouraged by a lot of senior people from making this musical blockbuster. Suri revealed, 'When I started off this film, I was quite discouraged by a lot of senior people saying that nobody would be interested in a young love story. Because at that time, larger than life films were being made and I just thought that my voice would be lost there when everyone was shouting. So I just went and tried to make a film which is very different from what others were doing. And to me, the fact that people are appreciating that the difference that it's standing out means a lot.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Talking about the haunting soundtrack of his films that always remain etched in people's minds, the filmmaker said, 'Music was a matter of survival. While working with Vishesh Films, we didn't have stars. Everyone was new, right from Emraan Hashmi to my sister to Kunal Kemmu. We realized that we didn't have the promotion budgets like other big star films. We only played one promo when others played five. So we have a song in such a way that that one song stays with you more than the four that have been played by a star cast film.' 'So the survival mechanism somewhere became a way of working, and that's something I've continued over the last 20 years. But when it comes to visuals, I've never really concentrated on them. I've always let the actors act first, and then I place the camera according to that. But I must give credit to the last couple of years because I've been working with Vikas, he's someone who's added to my visual sense,' added the man of the moment.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Saiyaara director Mohit Suri got depressed, cried listening to ‘ruined' version of ‘Woh Lamhe' by ‘senior music director': ‘Mukesh Bhatt started laughing'
With his new romantic drama Saiyaara, which has garnered over Rs 132 crore at the domestic box office in just five days, filmmaker Mohit Suri has also completed 20 years in the Hindi film industry. He began his directorial career back in 2005 with another romantic drama, Zeher, starring Emraan Hashmi and Shamita Shetty. Zeher, produced by Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films, didn't perform well at the box office, but its music has stood the test of time. Particularly, the romantic song 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein,' sung by Atif Aslam, has become a brooding love anthem over the years. However, Suri wasn't impressed by the track's initial version at all. 'I remember clearly, I had heard the programming of 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein' by a very senior music director. And I got very depressed because he'd ruined the song. And I started crying. So, Mukesh ji started laughing at me. He said, 'Stop, you don't have to cry and all. We'll do something.' I was 22-23 years old,' Suri recalled in the latest edition of Creator x Creator with music composer and longtime collaborator Mithoon on SCREEN. Bhatt then took Suri to meet another music director, where the producer accidentally met his former collaborator and veteran musical arranger Naresh Sharma. 'Mukesh ji had a lot of respect and admiration for him. He exchanged the hellos and his with Naresh ji, came back to me, and gave me a whole brief on how your father was instrumental in the music and background score of Aashiqui (1990) and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991). He was the main person who arranged the music of Aashiqui,' Suri told Mithoon. Naresh then informed Bhatt and Suri that his son Mithoon does background score. So Bhatt suggested Suri meet Mithoon. 'I said hi to you, I don't think you even looked at me. You were so into your music that you went back into it. I don't think you cared at that time. Your dad insisted these youngsters should work together. You were 19, I guess,' recalled Suri, in his conversation with Mithoon. 'There was some honesty in the way you were doing it. If you looked at me properly, socialized with me — I mean I was a nobody, I hadn't done anything — but Mukesh Bhatt, who's known for his music, if you'd overdone that, (I wouldn't have worked with you). But you were so spiritual about your music,' added Suri, who then got Mithoon to compose 'Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein.' 'I was just blown when I heard what you'd taken that song and made of it. The silence of the piano at that beginning, I just knew it from there,' said Suri, adding, 'I remember when we were recording the song, it rained. The lyrics had, 'Woh barsaatein.' I think when something good happens, it goes into the universe. It doesn't stay ours.' Also Read: Saiyaara just fixed everything Bollywood broke about love Mithoon and Suri have since collaborated on memorable tracks like 'Aadat' from Kalyug (2005), 'Phir Mohabbat Karne Chala Hai Tu' (Murder 2, 2011), 'Tum Hi Ho' (Aashiqui 2, 2013), 'Humdard' (Ek Villain, 2014), 'Main Phir Bhi Tumko Chahunga' (Half Girlfriend, 2017), and most recently, 'Dhun' in Saiyaara.
