Mohit Suri on why he decided to step away from Aashiqui 3 but made Saiyaara: 'No sequel pressure, star cast, numbers'

Mohit Suri said that when there was “no sequel pressure”, he “stopped caring about the commerce” and made Saiyaara. The film stars Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda.

Director Mohit Suri, whose recent film Saiyaara became a blockbuster, has revealed that he was initially in talks to develop the movie as a follow-up to his 2013 hit Aashiqui 2. Speaking with news agency PTI, Mohit said that the makers of Aashiqui 3 were in a "hurry to begin" the project, but he "couldn't rush the process". He added he was "more than glad when Anurag Basu took over". Aashiqui 2 (2013) starred Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.

Mohit Suri's Saiyaara, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, hit the theatres in July.

Mohit Suri on why he decided not to direct Aashiqui 3

Mohit added that he could make Saiyaara as "there was no sequel pressure or of a star cast which had an opening number to live up to". "The Aashiqui 3 thing... it was too nascent. They (the Aashiqui 3 producers) had asked me if I would be interested in making it. This was the idea I had. But I don't commit to something till I have a script ready. They were in a hurry to begin, so I was more than glad when Anurag took over, but I couldn't rush the process," he said.

Mohit talks about having no pressure while making Saiyaara

"Once there was no sequel pressure or of a star cast which had an opening number to live up to, I stopped caring about the commerce. And I just went and made a film. If I was making a sequel, or a franchise, I would be somewhere playing to a commerce like 'Let's make it better than Aashiqui 2. Let's make the music better'. I didn't do that. I did what's best for the film. It was such a liberating process," he added.

Mohit on Ahaan, Aneet being kept away during promotions

Mohit added that Saiyaara producer Aditya Chopra saw the rough edit of the movie and predicted that the movie would cross ₹100 crore at the box office. Talking about Saiyaara lead actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda being kept away from the promotions of the movie, he added that this isn't a new strategy.

About Saiyaara

Saiyaara has earned over ₹300 crore since its release on July 18. The film follows Krish, played by Ahaan, an ambitious musician, and Vaani, played by Aneet, a shy lyricist recovering from heartbreak. The film also stars Geeta Agarwal, Rajesh Kumar, Varun Badola and Shaad Randhawa in key roles.