Aneet Padda Makes Lead Debut Opposite Ahaan Panday in Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara

Saiyaara, the much-anticipated romantic drama directed by Mohit Suri, has hit the theatres yesterday, marking the return of the filmmaker to his signature genre. Produced by Yash Raj Films, the movie introduces two fresh faces in lead roles—Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda.

While Ahaan Panday, cousin of Ananya Panday and nephew of Chunky Panday, has already garnered attention for his debut, the film also brings Aneet Padda into the spotlight. Despite being a relatively lesser-known name outside industry circles, Aneet’s journey to this point has been steady and marked by perseverance.

“Born in October 2002 to a middle-class working family in Amritsar, Aneet was raised far away from the world of Bollywood.” Her early career began in the modelling world, as she appeared in a series of advertisements during her teenage years. Alongside her modelling commitments, Aneet pursued her education, earning a Bachelor's degree from Jesus and Mary College at the University of Delhi.

“Aneet first appeared as an extra in the 2022 Kajol-starrer Salaam Venky. But her big break came last year with the Amazon Prime Video show, Big Girls Don't Cry, where she shared screen space with Pooja Bhatt, Raima Sen, and Zoya Hussain.” She credits the show’s directors, Nitya Mehra and Karan Kapadia, as her guiding forces in Mumbai, fondly referring to them as her “Bombay parents.”

In 2024, she expanded her creative portfolio by recording her debut song titled Masoom. That same year, she appeared under the name Aneet Kaur in a supporting role in the television series Yuva Sapno Ka Safar.

Her casting in Saiyaara is being seen as her true breakthrough moment. “In 2025, Aneet was cast opposite Ahaan Panday by director Mohit Suri for his then-untitled romantic drama. The director has said that he was looking for fresh faces for his film. As per reports, Aneet was among the hundreds of girls who auditioned for Saiyaara, but her audition impressed both Mohit and the top bosses at YRF that she was fast-tracked into the role.”

With a soulful soundtrack composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Saiyaara has already generated considerable box office buzz. “The film has generated quite a strong buzz at the box office, with its advance booking almost reaching ₹10 crore.