Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda didn’t promote Saiyaara for a reason; Mohit Suri learned this tactic during Aashiqui 2

Director Mohit Suri’s film Saiyaara is all set to take the box office by storm. The romantic drama is gaining attention for debutantes Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Interestingly, the two new stars have not been seen in any of the promotional events for the film, and according to Suri, this wasn’t due to availability or logistical issues. Their absence was a planned move by the makers of the film. The director explained the idea behind this decision in a recent interview.

In an interview with Just Too Filmy, Suri was asked whether keeping the actors away from the media was a tactic of sorts. Suri explained that due to the Ahaan and Aneet’s current status in the industry, he didn’t think flocking them in front of the media was needed and said, “It was an idea that collectively came forward. My producer Akshaye Widhani and, of course, Aditya Chopra, who has mentored us through this thing, suggested that until the two actors don’t have anything behind them to talk about, the conversation will be filled with questions like ‘Who is the prankster on the set?’ or ‘How is it to work with Mohit Suri?’ It’s all redundant stuff, and I don’t think anyone has any interest in listening to all that.”

ALSO READ: Saiyaara first reactions praise Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s ‘amazing’ performances, Mohit Suri’s direction; Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Anubhav Sinha share support

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Suri revealed that the idea wasn’t a Hail Mary but a tried and tested plan which he had seen in motion while launching two other newcomers years ago. He talked about his film Aashiqui 2 and how keeping Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor away from the media was the best thing they could have done for the film and for the actors. He said, “I remember when I was doing Aashiqui 2, and while we were shooting in Goa, people were recognising me but had no idea about Shraddha or Aditya. Later near the release of the film, we had to catch a flight back from Chandigarh and while we were in the air, the first show of the movie broke out. Upon landing I saw Shraddha and Aditya getting mobbed by the flight crew, fans and everyone around them, and the way they treated them after was way different. They weren’t being praised for their looks, not how we pushed them, but what the audience saw and connected with.”

While Aditya and Shraddha weren’t complete new faces, the plan worked, and looking at the advance booking reports for Saiyaara, it seems that Suri might have struck gold once again.