Mumbai, July 19 Actor Harshvardhan Rane, who was last seen in ‘The Miranda Brothers’, is heaping praise on the recently released film ‘Saiyaara’, and its team.
On Saturday, the actor took to the Stories section of his Instagram, and penned a special note for the film and its makers after it witnessed a stellar opening day.
He wrote, “Another melodious example of a love story shattering all myths and formulas of the industry. Honest heart wrenching love story wins again in 2025! #Saiyaara”.
‘Saiyaara’, which stars Aneet Padda, and marks the debut of Ahaan Panday, is helmed by Mohit Suri. Mohit is known for the heart-wrenching narratives of his films and their earworm music, case in point, ‘Zeher’, ‘Kalyug’, ‘Woh Lamhe’, the cult-classic ‘Awarapan’ and the blockbuster ‘Aashiqui 2’.
‘Saiyaara’ opened at INR 24.75 crore in India, with net collections standing at INR 21 crore after taxes, a feat which even the biggest of Bollywood stars, including some of the superstars, found difficult to achieve in the post-pandemic era where consumption has majorly shifted to OTT.
A debutant’s film opening at INR 21 crore (net collections) is a healthy reminder to the industry about sticking to strengths, and mounting stories with heart and conviction.
Earlier during an interview with IANS, Mohit had shared that there might not be a trick or a formula to make a hit film, stories which are deeply personal do have the potential to connect in a bigger way.
He told IANS, “In my 20 years of experience, I’ve always felt that the more personal your emotional experience is, the more universal it is. We’re also human, we’re nothing special but, if my emotions resonate with you, and I know how to do that, then the chances of success are higher. So whether it’s a film, a scene, or a song, the more personal we make it, the more universal it becomes”.
Earlier, Harshvardhan had also praised the media plan of the film’s promotion, and the conviction of director Mohit Suri. The actor praised the film’s team for completely bypassing the traditional promotional run of podcasts, city tours, and media interviews of the starcast.
‘Saiyaara’ is the second film which has managed to appeal to the audience in recent times, the first being the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, the slice-of-life and off-beat film, which minted INR 10.7 crore (net) on its opening day. To ensure longer lasting business of the film, Aamir, who is also the producer of the film, has decided to release the film on YouTube dissing the traditional route of selling the rights to OTT. The Bollywood superstar is said to be turning to the pay per view model on YouTube, in exchange for the trend of licensing the film to OTT platforms for a one time contract price.