Saiyaara (lit. 'Planet' or 'Wanderer') is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed by Mohit Suri.^[6] Produced by Yash Raj Films, it is loosely based on the 2004 Korean film A Moment to Remember.^[7][8] The film stars debutant Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in lead roles. It follows Krish Kapoor, a troubled musician, who forms a deep emotional bond with Vaani Batra, a shy poet.

Saiyaara was released theatrically on 18 July 2025 to positive reviews, with particular praise for Panday and Padda's performances, Suri's direction, and its soundtrack.^[9][10] A major commercial success, the film grossed over ₹576 crore worldwide, emerging as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025, the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, and the highest-grossing Indian romantic film.^[11][12]

Vaani awaits her marriage to Mahesh at a court ceremony with her parents and younger brother. However, during the proceedings, she learns over a phone call that Mahesh has abandoned her for the daughter of a wealthy businessman, prioritizing his career over their relationship. Devastated, Vaani faints and subsequently withdraws into depression, isolating herself for months and abandoning her passion for writing.

Krish Kapoor, an aspiring musician struggling to establish himself, copes with childhood trauma through music. Prone to emotional outbursts, he faces setbacks in his career, including clashes with journalists and disputes with band members. His friend KV supports the band financially, despite the strain it places on his own education. Krish encounters Vaani’s poetry when she applies for a job as a writer at a publishing house and is immediately drawn to the honesty and depth of her work.

Though initially hesitant about Krish’s erratic nature, Vaani agrees to collaborate with him on a song. When she experiences creative difficulties, Krish discovers torn pages from her notebook, recognizing her inner struggles. To help her, he takes her to a cricket ground, a place of solace for him. Inspired by his focus, Vaani gradually resumes writing. Their collaboration grows into a friendship as they spend more time together, with Vaani regaining her confidence and Krish finding stability in her presence.

Their bond deepens when Krish confronts his alcoholic father, blaming him for his mother’s death. Vaani comforts him and later encourages him to admit his father into rehabilitation. After completing their project, Krish distances himself, believing Vaani deserves better, but they soon reunite at a concert, acknowledging their feelings for each other.

Vaani’s parents grow cautious upon noticing Krish’s closeness to their daughter, fearing he may hurt her as Mahesh once did. The stress causes Vaani to collapse, after which her mother questions Krish about his intentions. When he promises commitment, her parents reluctantly approve of the relationship.

The couple’s lives change dramatically when Vaani is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Signs of memory loss become apparent, including a breakdown after an encounter with Mahesh. Krish abandons his work commitments to support her, assuring her that he will remain by her side regardless of her condition. On medical advice, Vaani’s parents consider a change of environment, and Krish takes her to Alibaug, where they create new memories together.

At a later concert, Mahesh attempts to exploit Vaani’s vulnerability during an episode of confusion. Krish intervenes, but Vaani, unable to recognize him, reacts fearfully. Back at their guesthouse, Krish’s father reconciles with him, urging him not to repeat his mistakes. In a quiet moment, Krish plays the piano while Vaani composes the song “Saiyaara” as a farewell message, though she mistakenly calls him by Mahesh’s name. Soon after, she disappears.

Despite extensive searches, Vaani is not found. Krish releases “Saiyaara” in her memory, and the song becomes a global hit, propelling him to fame. He continues to carry her writings with him while performing. Months later, KV discovers a viral video showing Vaani in Manali. Krish travels there and locates her at an ashram, where he receives a letter explaining she left to avoid hindering his career. She admits she continues to follow his music from afar.

When Krish meets her, Vaani no longer recognizes him. He reminds her of their shared memories, including their first moments at the cricket ground. Slowly, fragments of her memory return, and she ultimately recalls their love. The film concludes with Krish performing at Wembley Stadium, with Vaani by his side as they marry, signifying their reunion through love, music, and memory.

The film was officially announced by Mumbai-based Yash Raj Films, with Mohit Suri signed as the director.^[13] Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda were cast in the lead roles.^[14][15] For the film's female lead, Suri stressed that he wanted an actress who had not undergone any cosmetic procedures.^[16] Principal photography began in September 2024 and concluded in March 2025.^[17][18]

In an interview, Suri revealed that the project was initially envisioned by him as a possible third installment in the Aashiqui franchise, but it did not materialize with its producers. Inspired by the Netflix documentary series The Romantics, he began developing the story—titled Saiyaara—independently. However, Akshaye Widhani, the CEO of Yash Raj Films, later came on board to produce and back the film under the YRF banner.^[19]

The music album consists of 7 songs, composed by Mithoon, Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, Arslan Nizami, Vishal Mishra, Sachet-Parampara and The Rish (Rishabh Kant), with lyrics written by Irshad Kamil, Mithoon, Rishabh Kant and Raj Shekhar.^[20][21] The background score was composed by John Stewart Eduri, who replaced Suri's norm collaborator Raju Singh.^[22] The vocals were provided by Arijit Singh, Jubin Nautiyal, Shreya Ghoshal, Shilpa Rao, Vishal Mishra, Sachet-Parampara, Faheem Abdullah and Hansika Pareek. The soundtrack album was released on 4 July 2025.^[23]

The film's teaser was released on 30 May 2025.^[24] The trailer was released on 8 July 2025.^[25] Panday and Padda did not promote the film before its release, as Suri wanted audiences to experience the pair for the first time on screen.^[26]

The film was cleared with a U/A certificate from the CBFC after a few cuts.^[27] Saiyaara was released theatrically on 18 July 2025.^[28]

As of 31 August 2025, Saiyaara has grossed approximately ₹408.48 crore (US$48 million) domestically and ₹167.73 crore (US$20 million) overseas, for a worldwide gross of ₹576.21 crore (US$68 million).^[29][30] Trade analysts reported that the film achieved a return on investment (ROI) of over 640%, having been produced on a budget of just ₹45 crore (US$5.3 million).^[31] The film's box office performance has been described as unprecedented by many trade experts, with The Indian Express noting that it stood out "at a time when films are struggling to break even, especially the ones starring new faces or debutantes".^[32]

The film had a record-breaking opening day, collecting ₹28.75 crore (US$3.4 million) worldwide, marking the highest opening for a Hindi film featuring a debutant male lead.^[33] Its opening weekend was strong across India, especially in urban multiplexes, with ₹83 crore (US$10 million) net earned domestically and over ₹119 crore (US$14 million) globally.^[34] By the end of its first week, Saiyaara had collected between ₹172.5 crore and ₹175.25 crore (US$20–21 million) net in India, and approximately ₹250.5 crore (US$30 million) worldwide, surpassing Ek Villain to become the highest-grossing film of Mohit Suri's career.^[35][36] On its eighth day, the film maintained momentum, earning ₹17.5 crore (US$2.1 million) net.^[37] On 26 July 2025 (its ninth day), it crossed the ₹200 crore (US$24 million) milestone domestically with an additional ₹15.3 crore (US$1.8 million), becoming the second fastest Hindi film of 2025 to enter the ₹200 crore club. The film crossed ₹300 crore mark on its ninth day.^[38] Its total stood at ₹220.75 crore net in India and ₹327.74 crore worldwide by the end of day ten. By this point, Saiyaara had already outperformed the lifetime totals of Raid 2, Sitaare Zameen Par and Housefull 5 becoming the second highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025 as well as the third highest-grossing Indian film of the year, behind only Chhaava. This made it the second-biggest opening week for a Hindi release in 2025, behind Chhaava. By its twelfth day of release, the film had earned an estimated ₹270.75 crore (US$32 million) net in India, with a domestic gross of ₹319.5 crore (US$38 million). Its overseas earnings stood at ₹86 crore (US$10.8 million), bringing its total worldwide gross to ₹404 crore (US$48 million), surpassing Kabir Singh as the highest-grossing Indian romantic film of all time.^[39] Within thirteen days, it had climbed to become the 22nd highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, surpassing RRR and Dhoom 3.^[40] By the end of its sixth week, the film had overtaken Padmaavat and Tiger Zinda Hai to emerge as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.^[41]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10.^[42]

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 4.5/5 stars, and wrote "On the whole, Saiyaara is a stirring musical saga elevated by Mohit Suri's deft direction, heartfelt romance, chart-topping music, and stellar lead performances.^[43] Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars, and wrote "Saiyaara is a beautifully crafted romantic drama that triumphs through its stellar performances, enchanting music, and Mohit Suri's masterful direction. Despite a familiar storyline, the film's emotional depth and heartfelt chemistry make it a must-watch".^[44] Rishabh Suri of the Hindustan Times gave 3.5/5 stars, and wrote "Overall, Saiyaara may not break new ground in terms of storytelling, but it strikes the right emotional chords. It's a film that understands its audience and delivers with sincerity. It offers just enough to make you feel—and that, sometimes, is more than enough".^[45] Radhika Sharma of NDTV gave the film 3/5 stars, and wrote "The story is as old as time. Bad boy meets good girl, sparks fly, and then, there's heartbreak, sacrifice, and reunion".^[46] Vinamra Mathur of Firstpost gave 3/5 stars, and wrote "Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda sail through this messy, imperfect love story".^[47]

Vineeta Kumar of India Today gave 3.5/5 stars, and wrote "Saiyaara' doesn't promise the best love story or the most dazzling performances. But it holds your hand, sings to your broken heart, and walks with you for a while. It's entertaining, emotional, and musical - a cinematic piece where the flaws are visible, but so is the heart".^[48] Kusumika Das of Times Now gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "The soul of the film lies in the cast's performances. There are flashes of brilliance - lines like "Mera na hona, tumhare bade hone ka wajah banega" echo the classic Mohit Suri magic. But overall, Saiyaara feels like it aimed for the stars and only touched the clouds".^[49] Aishwarya Vasudevan of OTTplay gave 3/5 stars, and wrote "Saiyaara doesn't reinvent the wheel of romance, but it sure makes it spin with heart. While its story may echo familiar chords, the harmony between Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda hits the right notes".^[50] Jaya Dwivedie of India TV gave 3/5 stars, and wrote "'Saiyaara is a slow-paced love story that tries to reach the hearts of the audience despite its unfamiliarity and incompleteness".^[51]