Bollywood's newest heartthrobs, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, have become household names after the blockbuster success of Saiyaara. Much to fans' delight, the two young stars recently gave us a peek into their personal lives through a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter India. While the conversation was filled with fun moments, it also carried deeply emotional revelations about their families.
“My dadu has Alzheimer’s… ”
For Aneet, the journey with Saiyaara was far more personal than fans imagined. The 22-year-old actor revealed that, much like her character in the film, her grandfather is also battling Alzheimer’s. “My dadu has Alzheimer's disease, which is why the film was even more emotional for me,” she shared. “He's at a point now where he doesn't remember most things, but I believed in this film because it says ‘dimaag bhool jaata hai par dil kabhi nahi bhoolta (the mind forgets but the heart does not)’, and that's very true for my dadu. He doesn't remember my name; he doesn't remember most, but he calls me Heeraput, or Makkhan. The last few times that I had visited, he was okay with me sitting next to him; familiar but not knowing who I am or what's going on. So, when my film was coming out, I [thought] he's not going to know or remember [me]. And then, [because he couldn't go to the theatre since he's bedridden] my parents showed him all the videos and everything; and he smiled and said ‘Heeraput’ and ‘Makkhan di movie’; and that was very special.”
Why Yash Raj Films was always home for Ahaan
Similarly, for Ahaan, memories of his grandmother shaped not only his life but also his career choices. Shanoo Sharma, YRF’s longtime casting director, had earlier revealed that Aditya Chopra personally reached out to Ahaan’s parents about his potential debut. While there was interest from other producers, the final call was Ahaan’s to make. The 27-year-old actor explained why choosing Yash Raj Films was instinctive: “I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me ‘Raj’ all the time. My sister's Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we're big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers.”
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, for Ahaan, memories of his grandmother shaped not only his life but also his career choices. Shanoo Sharma, YRF’s longtime casting director, had earlier revealed that Aditya Chopra personally reached out to Ahaan’s parents about his potential debut. While there was interest from other producers, the final call was Ahaan’s to make. The 27-year-old actor explained why choosing Yash Raj Films was instinctive: “I think it goes back to my grandmother; that was the person close to me whom I lost. Yash Raj Films was a dream for me, it was the cinema I grew up with, the cinema my grandmother dreamed I would be a part of. She used to call me ‘Raj’ all the time. My sister's Hindu name is Chandni, based on the film Chandni, and my Hindu name is Yash; we're big filmy Yash Raj [Films] lovers.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “So, when Adi sir asked me, it was instinctive because I believed it was my destiny. It was just this childhood dream of mine; I've seen these heroes my whole life, emulated them, looked up to them and that was [what I wanted to be] the first chapter of my professional life. I know [when I'm older] I'll look back on this and be very happy, and I know my grandmother would be very happy. It was her dream for me to be an actor; I wanted to be a writer. Somewhere, I did this for her.”
About Saiyaara
Directed by Mohit Suri, Saiyaara tells the story of a rebellious musician (Ahaan) who falls in love with a songwriter battling Alzheimer’s (Aneet). The film shattered records with a ₹563 crore collection, becoming the highest-grossing debut-led movie in Indian cinema history and YRF’s biggest success since Pathaan (2023).