Saiyaara Movie Review: Mohit Suri’s Familiar Tune Finds Its Choir Again
With Saiyaara, director Mohit Suri returns to his well-worn territory of heartbreak, haunting melodies, and poetic pain—territory that he carved out a decade ago and continues to revisit with devotion. This time, he brings along debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, who deliver sincere, heartfelt performances in a film that knows exactly who it’s for—and makes little effort to appeal to anyone outside that niche.
For the loyal followers of Suri’s emotional musical dramas, Saiyaara is a familiar embrace. It has everything they expect: a damaged dreamer (Krish), a loving muse (Vaani), a looming tragedy (Alzheimer’s), and a soundtrack composed like a slow, deliberate bleeding of emotions. The music, contributed by Mithoon, Vishal Mishra, and others, does most of the heavy lifting—because let’s face it, we’ve all seen this story before.
If you’ve watched Aashiqui 2, Hamari Adhuri Kahani, or Ek Villain, you can predict Saiyaara beat for beat. The film wears its emotional formula like a badge of honour—unapologetic in its melodrama, heavily stylised in its heartbreak, and steeped in sentimentality. There is no reinvention here; only repetition dressed in a younger cast and updated production design.
Ahaan Panday shows flashes of potential as the brooding musician trying to hold onto love as it slips away, while Aneet Padda carries emotional scenes with grace. But their chemistry, while earnest, rarely rises above the predictability of the script. The pacing drags post-interval, and the emotional climax arrives not with catharsis, but a sense of déjà vu.
To Suri’s credit, he never pretends this film is for everyone. Saiyaara is made for the cult audience who find comfort in the familiar ache of unfulfilled love, who play heartbreak songs on loop, and who still remember their first viewing of Tum Hi Ho like a rite of passage. For them, this is a homecoming.
For the rest, Saiyaara may feel like a remix of emotions you’ve already felt in better-packaged stories. It isn’t a bad film—it just isn’t a new one.
Verdict:
Saiyaara is a sentimental slow-burn with sincere performances, poetic visuals, and a well-curated soundtrack. But outside its loyal cult following, it struggles to justify its existence. It’s not a bad love letter to heartbreak—it’s just one you’ve likely read before.
Final Rating: 2.75/5
