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Ahaan Panday reveals what he did to get attention from the industry before Saiyaara: ‘It was never who I really was’

In his first interview after Saiyaara, Ahaan Panday opens up about his persona on Instagram before his debut film

Published on: Aug 29, 2025, 20:03:34 IST
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Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara did what a lot of Hindi films have been unable to do in the last few years — bring audiences to theatres to watch newcomers shine on screen. His lead stars Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda became overnight sensations, making fans go gaga in cinema halls with their heart wrenching performances and the content that their debut film offered. During promotions, which the newcomers were not a part of as per strategy, Mohit described Ahaan as a ‘full, out-there, Gaiety Galaxy boy’. The director further called the actor a TikToker who pulled his old videos down from social media before Saiyaara’s release. Well, Ahaan has now revealed the reason behind his old Instagram persona.

Ahaan Panday
Ahaan Panday

In his recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Ahaan Panday shared, “When I was active on Instagram, the persona I had on it was never who I really was; it was who I thought I needed to be to get attention from the film fraternity so that I could get work. It's a personality I adopted.” Talking about his character Krish Kapoor, who became a national crush for audiences after Saiyaara’s release, Ahaan revealed, “This is not a character I thought I would do; the auditions I would do would be softer, goofier, full of energy and positivity, the boy next door. You don't want [Krish] next door.”

This was Ahaan and his co-star Aneet Padda’s first interview after their debut film’s release. Aneet, who portrayed the role of a shy poet named Vaani in Saiyaara, revealed that while shooting the film everyone on set called her real Krish and described Ahaan as the real life Vaani. Aneet was quoted saying, “Everyone on set [would say] I'm the real Krish and he's the real Vaani, because we're the opposites of our characters.”

Well, we can’t wait to see Ahaan and Aneet test out their versatility with many other characters onscreen in their bright future.

  • Mahima Pandey
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Mahima Pandey

    Mahima Pandey is a journalist at HT City, who believes that being a bridge between the entertainment industry and the public is an honour. She enjoys Bollywood updates, films, fashion trends and gossip from the industry as much as any other movie buff, which helps her write things worth your time.Read More