Mohit Suri reveals Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer 'Saiyaara's idea was originally Aashiqui 3': 'They were in a hurry... I was not comfortable...'

Mohit Suri is returning to the genre he knows best—romance—with Saiyaara, starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Set for release on July 18 under Yash Raj Films, the film marks a significant new chapter for the director, who recently revealed that the story was originally conceived as Aashiqui 3.

In conversation with Pinkvilla, Mohit revealed that Saiyaara was originally conceived as Aashiqui 3. He shared that Bhushan Kumar and Mukesh Bhatt had approached him to develop a draft, but due to their fluctuating relationship and a rushed announcement plan, he chose to rework the idea independently. Eventually, the concept evolved into Saiyaara.

Suri further shared that it was filmmaker Luv Ranjan who encouraged him to write Saiyaara. He credited Luv for pushing him toward a love story, and said the inspiration intensified after watching The Romantics, which reminded him of the emotional depth of 80s cinema. Observing a dip in action films’ performance also nudged him to pursue this romantic narrative, which he eventually developed into a full screenplay.

Mohit Suri revealed that Aashiqui 2 was originally conceived as a standalone love story, not a sequel. After Murder 2, he was eager to explore romance on screen, but faced rejections—even from Emraan Hashmi—due to industry reluctance toward love stories under Vishesh Films. Bhushan Kumar then suggested adapting the script into Aashiqui 2, and Mukesh Bhatt offered a bigger budget with the iconic title. Mohit agreed, and the rest became history.