A Mohit Suri film is a mood. In his latest Saiyaara, Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda) explains to Ahaan Panday’s Krish Kapoor the difference between hit songs and memorable ones. “The popular ones? You listen to them for four months and then forget them,” she says. “But the other ones make you time travel. Towards your childhood, towards your first love, towards…rain.” For a millennial Hindi cinemagoer like me, Saiyaara too feels like a time machine. It took me back to earphone-on metro rides, brooding songs from Kalyug (2005) or Awarapan (2007) giving unnecessary weightage to a school breakup. Or a class bunk to watch Aashiqui 2 (2013) with a crush and then regretting the decision after witnessing the climax (it doesn’t end swell). Saiyaara made me relive old memories but I am not sure if it created any new ones. It isn’t a new, catchy track but actually a reprise. A throwback. A compilation of Mohit Suri’s greatest hits.
Directed by: Mohit Suri
Written by: Sankalp Sadanah
Cast: Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda, Alam Khan, Geeta Agarwal, Rajesh Kumar, Varun Badola
Aneet plays Vaani, a timid poet, reeling under the trauma of being abandoned at the altar. She keeps a diary handy, in case inspiration strikes or to keep a note in case she forgets something. She forgets quite often. Ahaan is Krish, a young, brattish musician who, in his introductory scene, beats up a journalist for not including his name in his review (each word of mine will now be typed with caution). Krish then accuses him of favouring the “nepo kids.” “You will lap up any shit these blue tick ones throw at you,” he says. Ahaan Panday is the nephew of Chunky Panday and cousin of Ananya Panday. Bollywood continues to amaze me.
Vaani and Krish meet over a song. She writes, he croons and it soon develops into a creative partnership. He is a sad-bad biker boy. She is meek and soft-spoken. He gives her courage. She gives him calm. He throws away his rolled cigarette when she picks up one. She learns to laugh freely. Somewhere along the line, love seeps in but it won’t be without its share of problems.
A brooding baddie and a dead, dying or suffering from an incurable disease maiden. Add to it scenes of a singer feeling lost and lonely on a stage and you get a classic Mohit Suri setup. After the debacle of Ek Villain Returns (2022), it’s good to witness Suri swing at his home ground of young romance. Saiyaara is an ode to spirited, young, rebellious love and manages to steer clear of getting into the arena of social media or dating apps. In fact, Vaani’s abandoning ex, a villainous character, is the owner of a dating app, lazily titled ‘Soulmates’. A cunning dig. Vaani and Krish might be new-age but their romance is still kissing-under-the-fireworks old school. It also helps that big-screen debutantes Aneet and Ahaan have bubbling chemistry.
Aneet effortlessly steps into the mold of the demure Suri heroine while Ahaan, although a bit green, shows promise. The actors’ performances are patchy but it’s not a lost cause. Ahaan is less convincing when he bursts out and more evocative in sombre moments. Aneet often speaks in her mouth, a failed bid to sound coy and cute, but manages to quietly carve a space for herself. At a time when most acting debuts are becoming meme templates, these two are definitely reel-worthy.
Earlier this month, director Anurag Basu gave his take on modern love and relationships with Metro…In Dino. Suri’s Saiyaara might have nothing new to say but what is alluring is that it bears the director’s authentic voice. The music, however, works better in the film, than it does on a jukebox. If you are a middle-aged millennial, vexed with Hindi cinema not coming up with anything fresh, Saiyaara will give you respite by taking you to the good old days. And if you are young, bunking that class might not be a bad idea afterall.