In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, director Mohit Suri discussed his upcoming romantic drama Saiyaara, which is scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 18, 2025. Under the banner of Yash Raj Films, Suri makes a comeback to the big screen with a new partnership between newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, known for weaving emotionally resonant love stories with soulful music. The director speaks honestly in this interview about the movie's genesis, the difficulties in introducing new talent in the current film market, and what it means to lead a love narrative for a studio known for its Bollywood romance.

With only a few days remaining before the publication of Saiyaara, how do you feel?

A jumble of emotions: nervous, worried, and thrilled. Regardless of how you may feel, I believe you have experienced this 13 times previously. On release day, it always feels like the first time.

You have produced movies at a consistent rate over the past few years, ever since your directorial debut in 2005. How can you maintain that drive, and how can you continue to develop your talent for storytelling without taking a more extended creative hiatus?

Breaks, in reality, cause me a great deal of difficulty. I think they are quite uncertain. Since I was 17, I've worked on the set, and it almost seems as though my life has been there, and breaks from the outside world feel like a set. For this reason, I like returning to the set. One of the reasons I want to produce hate films is so that I can keep creating more. I enjoy the experience of arriving on set in the morning, spending time with the people I consider to be my closest friends—my team—creating a movie together, sometimes crying when it doesn't go well, and then getting up and doing it all over again the following day. I really enjoy the entire film-making process, and I hope I can continue doing it for the next 20 years.

With the entry of YRF in particular, how did Saiyaara's original concept change throughout the years?

In my opinion, a concept remains inside of you and yearns to be expressed. I had traveled to Dubai with my wife and run into some of my former musician friends who were playing in a concert. My wife began DJing when they were singing the song, and now she's playing some of my old tunes. The music brought back memories of the past, but I couldn't recall the performer at all. As a result, I simply thought this was a fantastic concept, in which music has the potential to teleport you into some of the memories of your life. There isn't a better way to do it. Perhaps smell, but the music always brings you back to that specific moment; it's neither the performer nor the song's location. The most important thing is who you were with and how you felt. And that was the genesis of an idea. However, I called my assistant, who was helping me with the writing, from where we were, and I asked him, "Why don't you help me write it?" which was the name of the project. And he wrote the movie while seated. However, I accomplished it by myself. Rohan Shankar was in charge of the conversation. The largest firm in the market is now promoting a young love story, saying that it's the only picture I want to create right now. After all, this is the only love tale I want to produce. Therefore, I believe that anything will find its true course if you intentionally go out there and do it.

This is your debut picture with YRF, a studio that has created legendary love stories and has also been developing its spy universe. What was their creative synergy like because this is also their comeback to the romantic genre?

For me, it was a no-brainer. However, in my opinion, Yash Raj has excelled in the Spy Universe. Yash Raj will always be, in my opinion, the product of Adi Sir (Aditya Chopra) and the classical love tales of Yash Ji (Yash Chopra). We've always gone to the movies on Diwali after the Puja. For all movies, there are movies that continue to be released in theaters, and the entire family is captivated by and believes in the power of love in the music and song. Thus, I actually recall seeing Adi Sir's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge when I was in the eighth grade. I was fascinated by who this young director is and what this movie-making industry entails, even if everyone was praising the performers, and I concur with that assessment—they were excellent. How come he inspired me to become a director? I am now employed here after all those years. I recall emailing Adi Sir to express my gratitude for the chance to do this. This is because I'm currently employed by someone who inspired me to write love stories. Therefore, with everything else, the greatest challenge was to live up to the heritage. I was solely concerned about it.

Did the initial tie to a franchise like Aashiqui influence how you rewrote the script and character arcs?

I don't think that way. For instance, I didn't give any thought to Aashiqui even while creating Aashiqui 2. When Aashiqui was being produced, there was a choice. When you attempt to look left and right, I believe you lose focus on what has to be done in the center. Therefore, I simply concentrate on what I believe is best for my movie. I have no idea what they are creating or what someone else is doing. I have no clue about that. I mean, I wrote this three years ago and I'm mostly in my own world. I was given the chance to create that movie at that point. They went to another director since I politely refused since I didn't have the screenplay. However, I cannot release a film or make an announcement without a script; that is not my style.

Was Saiyaara written with beginners in mind from the start, or was it always a versatile narrative that could change according to casting choices?

When I wrote the movie, it was about falling in love for the first time, and it was aimed at a 20- to 25-year-old audience. It needed an age. But the issue was that I didn't think anybody would give me any money back then to produce it with new talent. Therefore, I took the initiative to ask a few actors over my friends if they would be interested in creating a love story. To be honest, they were all really chilly. The humorous thing was when I went to see Adi Sir and Akshaye Widhani, and I told them that this is a film and that I had persuaded these folks to collaborate with me. They were the ones who said, "But my distribution and marketing team will be very happy that you're getting saleable actors, because your film requires 20- to 25-year-olds, but I'm telling you your film will not work because you need them to be newcomers." Therefore, consider that the business with the most popular actors in the nation permitted me to produce the film with newbies. At first, I wanted to make this movie with newcomers, but I wasn't sure if anybody would have the enthusiasm and the vision to do it that way. These guys are truly walking the walk, even though I'm not the one who's footing the bill.

How does introducing new talent now differ from when you previously oversaw actors like Shraddha Kapoor, Kunal Kemmu, and Emraan Hashmi in the early stages of their careers?

The procedure is the same; only the technology has changed. When we were filming the shows, we were still backstage on the day of Holi. Ahaan came to the set, and on a huge, larger-than-life digital screen, they were showing some of his shots. He looked at himself first, then at the theater sideways, seeing himself larger than life. He couldn't believe the twinkle in his eye as he watched himself on such a large screen. I remember when Footpath was released and we went from cinema to cinema to see Emraan on the big screen, he had the same expression. While we were driving around town looking at all the billboards, I noticed the same expression in Kangana's (Kangana Ranaut) eyes. When we were promoting Aashiqui 2 on the road, the first episode came out, and we were on a plane, I saw the same expression when the entire crew of the plane took pictures with Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Shraddha while I walked down the stairs and snapped a photo of them. It's the same look; there's simply the moment. Therefore, the vibe remains the same even if the language and the people change.

This year marks a first for you and your cousin Alia Bhatt—your YRF directorial debut with Saiyaara and her YRF acting debut with Alpha. Given the differences in your artistic paths, how does it feel to share this milestone in the same year?

I didn't see that, oh yeah. Now that I've placed it in perspective, I believe I'll discuss it with her. I'm not sure what my reaction to this was. When she was filming, I ran into her here. I didn't give it any thought. I've never really spoken about it in that manner. I never considered it in that manner, no.

With Murder 2 and Aashiqui 2, you have advanced tales that other filmmakers have started and turned them into your own. How does it feel to watch someone else create a sequel to a film that you produced and shaped when Nitin Kakkar is now directing Awarapan 2? Is it odd to let go?

I won't lie, it's a weird thing to let go of. But the truth is that I was informed about the change, questioned about it, and informed that they are implementing it. I personally invest a lot of my time and effort into my own movie. Therefore, I have no idea what someone else would do with it or if they want the correct meaning of the movie, but it's something I care about deeply, so I wish them luck in doing it well.

But the public was eager to witness you and Emraan Hashmi reunite in a film...

I would enjoy doing that. In my opinion, Emraan hasn't given me anything. I would collaborate with him without hesitation.

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