EXCLUSIVE: Mohit Suri Compares Saiyaara’s Ahaan Panday Losing His First Film To Sister Smilee Dakshina Suri; Says, “The Pain Of Loss”

Mohit Suri is an Indian film director. He directed the films Murder 2 (2011), the musical romance Aashiqui 2 (2013) and Ek Villain (2014) and Malang (2020). While promoting his upcoming film, Saiyaara, the filmmaker got candid. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, Mohit Suri compared Ahaan Panday losing his first film, which led to him becoming Krish Kapoor in Saiyaara.

Mohit Suri Reveals Never Watching Ahaan Panday’s Dance Reels

When asked about the casting of Saiyaara, introducing Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in a YRF film, director Mohit Suri said, “So, he was already in the system. He was supposed to do a film with YRF earlier, but that didn’t really materialise pre-COVID. And then after COVID, things changed a lot. I think it changed for so many people. So, he couldn’t end up doing that film, but I believe it actually worked out better for him. That film not happening brought a certain depth of rejection or angst in him, which added a layer to his personality that helped me with my character. If he had gotten everything too soon, he probably would never have experienced that feeling of not having achieved something—the pain of loss. That’s what I was worried about, whether he had that depth or not.”

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He added, “And initially, even while going for auditions with him, I didn’t fully see it. But when I hung out with him one night and we painted the town, that’s when I saw that personality. He wasn’t just someone who had gotten a chance. He was someone who had gotten a chance, been rejected, waited long enough, and lived with that feeling. It’s very easy for people to say things. But living with that humiliation, when someone says, ‘You were supposed to do a film.’ And then it doesn’t happen, that’s tough.”

Mohit Suri On His Sister Smilee’s Struggle

Mohit further added, “I’ve seen that even in my own family, like when my sister lost a film. When actors lose films, it’s genuinely upsetting, especially when it’s something they really wanted to do. But surprisingly, now that I’ve cast him. Everyone, including my wife, is like, ‘Have you seen those videos of his?’ And I’m like, ‘Where were these videos before?’ I was under the impression that I had seen them. Maybe I’m just really bad at social media; I didn’t really notice them. But my wife has, and apparently, he does these impromptu dances on songs, and he’s really charming. I hadn’t seen any of that before.”

Mohit Reveals Aneet Studying Before Audition

Talking about Aneet Padda, he said, “And then, talking about her, she’s a spectacular talent. The first audition I saw of hers was a self-tape on a mobile phone. And then, of course, Praanu got her to come down and audition properly. This girl used to come, give auditions, and then go back to give her exams. She just came, gave her audition effortlessly, and went back to study, and I was like, ‘How is she doing this?’ And she was so chill about it. I even said, ‘Beta, you failed there,’ and she replied, ‘No, I passed.’ I was like, something has to get compromised somewhere, but that’s just who she is.”

Watch The Full Interview

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