Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda made their Bollywood debut with Saiyaara.
Ahaan Panday and Aneet Paddarecently made history at the box office as the debutant duo who had a blockbuster with Saiyaara. This was the first feature film for the two actors, and while Aneet had appeared in a Prime Video show, and Ahaan was often seen in his sister Alanna Panday’s vlogs, and was also well known among those who follow his cousin Ananya Panday, this was their first massive break. Casting director Shanoo Sharma,who auditioned them rigorously for the Mohit Suri film, recently said that Aneet had it far easier than Ahaan, who is the nephew of Chunky Panday. His father Chikki Panday and mother Deanne Panday have been closely associated with the film business for many years.
Shanoo recalled that she first met Ahaan when he was just 19, and he had been associated with YRF’s casting agency for over seven years. She said that even though Aditya Chopra planned on launching Ahaan a few years ago, he had his doubts about launching a debutant after the pandemic. She shared with The Hollywood Reporter India, “It was just before Pathaan that Adi sir called Ahaan and his parents, this is not something anyone knows, and Ahaan was getting attenion from outside, like agencies were trying to poach him. Adi sir said, ‘I have full faith in this boy, I am going to launch him but post pandemic, the films have not done well at YRF and they are not doing well even outside so I don’t know when I am going to be able to launch him. I don’t know when I will be able to make a film with newcomers so if you are losing patience I don’t want to come in the way. Please go and I will work with you whenever we have something’.” Shanoo shared that Ahaan decided to wait and eventually got Saiyaara.
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For Aneet, she shared that she had seen her when she was 19 and asked her to come and see her but when Aneet actually came around to meeting her, she had already done her first Prime Video series. After Shanoo auditioned her, she knew she had “gold in my hand.” When she showed the audition to Aditya, he “liked her talent but he said ‘yeh bachchi lag rahi hai (she is looking like a child).” After Shanoo “spruced up her look”, Aditya was convinced and eventually, Mohit decided to cast her too. Shanoo then added, “Aneet had an easier journey than Ahaan did.”
Ahaan and Aneet’s first film Saiyaara has already made Rs 308.45 crore in 20 days. The film is still going strong at the box office.
