Updated on: Aug 30, 2025 12:20 pm IST
Ahaan Panday braved a personal loss before he signed his debut film, Saiyaara, the actor revealed in his first interview since the film’s release.
Saiyaara has made him the heartthrob for millions across the country, and Ahaan Panday is still coming to terms with this new development. The actor was catapulted to stardom after his debut film became one of the most successful love stories in the history of Indian cinema. However, the success came after a personal loss shattered his confidence. In a recent interview, the 27-year-old revealed he lost someone close to him before his debut, which left him lost.
Ahaan Panday on his personal loss
Before Saiyaara happened, Ahaan faced an uncertain few years, when his launch as an actor kept getting delayed. This personal loss happened at the same time. He told The Hollywood Reporter India, “I would have to tell myself to [keep the faith] because things weren’t going the way I wanted them to. Something happened in my personal life that left me shattered. A person very important to me [passed away], and she was my backbone; the only person that would call me a hero every day in my home and always meant it. And I think once she (died) that confidence started to shatter; the only way to deal with that was to just keep working, and that’s what I did.”
Ahaan later revealed that the person he was talking about was his grandmother, Snehlata Pandey, the mother of his father Chikki and uncle, Chunky Panday. She died in July 2021, three years before Ahaan signed Saiyaara.
Ahaan worked as an assistant director in several films before he was cast in Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara. “I would always remind myself: to assist on a set is a dream for millions. To be able to pursue art is a luxury; most people didn’t get to do that, but I did. That kept me going,” he added.
Ahaan in Saiyaara
Eventually, Aditya Chopra, the head of Yash Raj Films, spotted Ahaan and promised to launch him. That promise led to Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, in which he was cast alongside fellow newcomer Aneet Padda.
The musical love story shattered records at the box office, minting ₹563 crore. It is now the highest-grossing film led by newcomers and also the highest-grossing love story in Indian cinema history.
