After Saiyaara’s success, Aneet Padda reveals 5 personal stories fans must know

Mohit Suri’s romantic drama film ‘Saiyaara’, made under the banner of Yash Raj Films, has performed exceptionally well at the box office. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film starring debutant actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda became the second indian film of the year 2025 to top Rs 500 crore worldwide after Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava.

In her first-ever interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aneet Padda opened up about her personal struggle with mental health also recalled the emotional last day on set, describing how she and Ahaan Panday were in tears as their shooting came to an end.

1. Her struggle with anxiety and depression before Saiyaara

Saiyaara actress revealed, “I started enjoying [acting] with this film [Saiyaara]. For three years before that, I just had terrible anxiety and depression.”  Aneet further added, “I always wanted to act. I would be recording auditions and locking my door, telling my parents I was doing homework. I knew I’d have to do this on my own because my parents didn’t have enough money to take me to Mumbai to audition.”

2. Why acting was her childhood dream despite family struggles

Sharing her journey, Aneet added, “I always wanted to act. I would be recording auditions and locking my door, telling my parents I was doing homework. I knew I’d have to do this on my own because my parents didn’t have enough money to take me to Mumbai to audition.”

3. The Mount Mary Church wish that came true

The 22-year-old actress Aneet Padda revealed that before signing Saiyaara, Ahaan Panday took her to the Mount Mary Church, where they both lit a candle, sat in the car made a wish. A week later, she received the call confirming that she landed the role in the movie. 

4. A personal connection with Saiyaara through her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s

Aneet Padda’s grandfather also suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, which made filming Saiyaara even more emotional for her. In the film ‘Saiyaara’, Aneet Padda’s character Vaani also has Alzheimer’s. 

Speaking to the publication, she said, “He’s at a point now where he doesn’t remember most things, but I believed in this film because it says ‘dimaag bhool jaata hai par dil kabhi nahi bhoolta (the mind forgets but the heart does not)’, and that’s very true for my dadu. He doesn’t remember my name; he doesn’t remember most, but he calls me Heeraput, or Makkhan.”

5. The tearful goodbye on Saiyaara’s last day of shoot

Reflecting on the last day of Saiyaara’s shoot, she recalled, “We were both crying on the last day of shoot. Everyone kept saying, ‘There’s so much more to do, you guys are going to have cover shoots and things to do after this, you wul meet,” but the point was, what we were doing for this whole year, that’s over.”

Saiyaara OTT release update

The debutant actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda became overnight stars and were loved by the audience and critics upon its release. The film has an IMDb rating of 7.9, and reportedly, it will be made available to stream on the Netflix platform in September. However, the official confirmation regarding the film’s OTT release date is awaited.