The cinematic world was abuzz this year with the arrival of Mohit Suri’s film Saiyaara, which introduced two promising newcomers, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. The film resonated with audiences, becoming a box office success and etching Ahaan and Aneet into the hearts of many. It’s particularly special for Ahaan, as his character Krish Kapoor’s journey began in the scenic city of Shillong. This city played a pivotal role in Ahaan’s connection with his character, helping him find what he was truly searching for.
Following the film’s triumph, Ahaan and Mohit Suri recently returned to Shillong to celebrate their shared success. However, Aneet Padda couldn’t join them on this occasion.
Mohit Suri took to social media to share his pride in Ahaan’s transformation, posting, “From seeing you nervously and foolishly perform on stage, referencing your character “Krish k” to seeing you getting mobbed here today as a star “Ahaan Pandey” ! So proud of you @ahaanpandayy. Thank you @eveningclubshillong and Jeff for making this possible .. as promised we all came here to share the success of #saiyaara.”
Ahaan reciprocated the sentiment, sharing photos and reminiscing about the film’s origins. He recalled his initial trip to Shillong in 2024, stating, “Shillong (TEC) 2024 flying out to Shillong, in the hope to find a bridge between Krish & I, in the hope to meet musicians, @jeff_zolal the owner of TEC was kind enough to put up a board of Josh the band from the film (at this point it was just a script) and the city was kind enough to allow me to learn a thing or two or three, I remember standing in each and every crowd during each and every performance, three weeks of music and culture and being surrounded by the best musicians I’ve witnessed, bobbing my head in a crowd of 30 and sometimes in a crowd of 3, this was where krish was born, in the quiet and loud corners of Shillong, Meghalaya.”
He further elaborated on his return in September 2025, expressing deep gratitude towards Mohit Suri: “Shillong (TEC) September 2025, Mohit sir promised me that he’d someday visit the same spot with me, he knew how much it meant to me, I’ll never forget this night, and I’ll always remember how much you believed in the both of us, I’ll always hold it close: two kids with a dream and nobody will give you the credit you deserve sir, but you deserve the galaxy and more, I know how much love you’ve poured into this film, and into the both of us, how gently you’ve guided us, we’ve found family in you, just want to say it one last time, thank you to everyone who was a part of this journey, and thank you to our other half, you couldn’t make it, but we missed you all the more, the yaara in our saiyaara.”
Looking ahead, Ahaan is reportedly preparing for his next project, a YRF romance-action drama set to be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.