Ahaan Panday’s debut film, “Saiyaara,” has roared past box office expectations, delivering a record-breaking first weekend with collections soaring to Rs 83.07 crore.
A Blockbuster Debut
“Saiyaara,” starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, kicked off its theatrical run with an impressive Rs 21 crore on its opening day. Strong word-of-mouth quickly spread, translating into packed cinema halls across India.
Audiences in tier I, II, and III cities particularly embraced the film, creating a buzz on social media. This positive reception hinted at a promising weekend ahead.
Weekend Box Office Surge
The film’s momentum continued to build on Saturday, registering a significant 25 percent increase in collections to reach Rs 25 crore. Sunday saw an even bigger jump, with earnings surging by a massive 48 percent to Rs 37 crore.
“Saiyaara” boasted an impressive 71.18% overall Hindi occupancy on Sunday. Evening and night shows saw peak turnout, with over 78% occupancy, indicating sustained audience interest throughout the day.
The Delhi-NCR region led the charge, hosting 1,120 shows and reporting the highest occupancy. Other major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad also contributed significantly to the film’s strong performance.
Setting New Benchmarks for Debuts
“Saiyaara” has quickly established itself as one of the biggest opening and debut weekend earners for a newcomer in Hindi cinema. In just three days, it surpassed the lifetime domestic collection of Alia Bhatt’s debut film, “Student of the Year” (SOTY), which earned Rs 70 crore in 2012.
The film also outdid the lifetime India collection of Ahaan Panday’s cousin, Ananya Panday’s debut “SOTY 2,” which stood at Rs 70.86 crore. Looking ahead, “Saiyaara” is on track to cross the lifetime earnings of Janhvi Kapoor’s debut film, “Dhadak,” which collected Rs 95.12 crore.
Outperforming Other 2025 Releases
Currently, “Saiyaara” is among the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2025. It has already surpassed the lifetime India collection of John Abraham’s “Diplomat,” which earned Rs 38.97 crore.
The film is also expected to soon overtake Rajkummar Rao’s “Bhool Chuk Maaf,” which made Rs 90.78 crore in India. Notably, “Saiyaara” has significantly outpaced Sunny Deol’s “Jaat,” which collected Rs 88.26 crore in its lifetime, by earning Rs 83.07 crore in just its first three days compared to “Jaat”‘s Rs 26 crore during the same period.
“Saiyaara” is currently trailing only behind 2025’s biggest releases like “Chhava,” “Housefull 5,” and “Sikandar,” positioning itself as a major contender this year.
- “Saiyaara” earned Rs 83.07 crore in its opening weekend.
- It surpassed Alia Bhatt’s “SOTY” lifetime earnings in just three days.
- The film beat Sunny Deol’s “Jaat” first-weekend collection.
- It recorded over 71% Hindi occupancy on Sunday, indicating strong audience turnout.
With such a phenomenal start, “Saiyaara” is set to leave a significant mark on the box office, proving the power of strong content and positive word-of-mouth for debutant-led films.
