Subhash Ghai wants Bollywood to note Saiyaara's success: ‘We all forget every time and make projects with stars’

Ahaan Panday marked his acting debut with Saiyaara, which surprised everyone in the industry and went on to become a record-breaking success.

Saiyaara, starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, broke records at the box office ever since it released in theatres on July 18. The romantic drama directed by Mohit Suri went on to cross the ₹250 crore mark at the box office. Now, filmmaker Subhash Ghai has commented on the unprecedented success of the film and said that the industry would do well if it took notice of it as well. (Also read: Subhash Ghai says Saiyaara success sends clear message: 'Don’t overspend on stars, focus on story')

Subhash Ghai has commented on the success of Saiyaara.

What Subhash wrote in Saiyaara

Taking to his Instagram account, the filmmaker wrote, “Many new faces broke the records at box office coz of an interesting character, good story, good director, great music. The fact we all forget every time and make projects with stars repeating their images again and again.”

‘Newcomers come with inspiring characters’

He continued by sharing some examples to prove his point, “Record-breaking new stars in Bobby - Ek Dooje ke Liye -Betaab / Love Story -Hero - Qayamat se Qayamat Tak - Maine Pyar Kiya - Phool aur Kaante -Kaho Na Pyaar Hain - Sairat -Kashmir files - Kerala Story -and now Saiyaara. Newcomers come with inspiring characters, with freshness and become stars. Let’s note it again.”

The filmmaker had previously congratulated the makers of Saiyaara for the success and noted, "When a new star-cast film creates a wave at the box office, it sends us a clear message to investors and producers not to make an overbudget film more than a good story needs—not to invest in main actors more than your production cost—no money spent on stars' whims—no extra spend on marketing stunts."

Saiyaara is a musical romantic drama that revolves around Krish Kapoor (Ahaan) as a struggling musician desperate for fame and success. He meets budding journalist Vaani Batra (Aneet), who later becomes his lyricist. While working together on a song, the two fall in love. However, fate takes a dark turn, putting their relationship to the test. With collections above ₹250 crore in India, Saiyaara has now become one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2025.