Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani and director Mohit Suri have clarified that the emotional reels flooding social media after the release of Saiyaara were not part of any paid promotional strategy. "All those reels are organic," Akshaye Widhani tells NDTV.
"We saw those reels of people crying and we kept sharing them with each other. And people thought that we are getting it done, but it's all organic," Widhani said, referring to the viral audience reactions that have become synonymous with Saiyaara's box office wave.
The film, which stars debutants Ahaan Pandey and Aneet Padda, has struck a deep emotional chord with viewers across the country. Widhani revealed that some of the earliest reactions came from unexpected corners: "It was amazing to see that when the reactions started pouring in, we started seeing some of these reels from smaller cities, from different centres and none of this was designed. These were actual audience reactions."
Mohit Suri, who directed the romantic drama, chimed in: "You can't script these."
Akshaye continued, "It would be great if we had the idea before to do it. Honestly, it's the audience that started for us. We saw the video of the guy watching the film with a saline stand."
"I hope he is fine now," Suri responded.
Widhani added, "We want to thank him for making the effort and going to the cinema to watch Saiyaara and making it as conversational as he did."
Acknowledging the risk the studio took by casting two newcomers, Widhani said the presence of Mohit Suri gave them confidence: "It was humbling and in fact when we started this film taking two newcomers, it was a risk, but we felt very comfortable knowing that Mohit is going to be helming it."
While influencers did eventually join the trend and amplify it, the studio maintains that the emotional momentum started with genuine audience reactions.
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