Mohit Suri’s romantic drama, “Saiyaara,” starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has delivered a much-needed jolt to Bollywood, smashing box office records and achieving the biggest opening weekend for a romantic film in Indian history.
A Surprise Hit Revives Bollywood
At a time when many big-budget Bollywood films have struggled, “Saiyaara” has emerged as an unexpected blockbuster. The film has been dominating the box office since its release, breathing new life into the industry.
It’s now on track to cross the impressive Rs 100 crore mark in the domestic market very soon. Beyond India, the film is also performing exceptionally well in overseas markets, contributing to a rapidly growing global gross.
Smashing Box Office Records
“Saiyaara” collected an astounding Rs 84 crore nett in India within its first three days. This makes it the biggest opening weekend for any romantic film in the country’s history.
The film opened strong with Rs 22 crore on Friday, followed by Rs 26.25 crore on Saturday, and a massive Rs 35.75 crore on Sunday. With an additional Rs 17.25 crore from overseas markets, its worldwide total has reached an incredible Rs 119 crore (USD 13.80 million).
Major Milestones Achieved
“Saiyaara” has set numerous new benchmarks in its opening weekend:
- It secured the highest worldwide opening weekend ever for a Hindi film led by debutant actors.
- It became the biggest opening weekend for a romantic film in Indian box office history.
- Sunday’s Rs 35.75 crore nett is the highest single-day collection ever for a romance film in India.
- Its opening weekend global gross of Rs 119 crore marks the highest ever for a romantic film in Indian cinema.
- It is the first and only romance film to gross over Rs 100 crore worldwide in its opening weekend.
- The Rs 22 crore nett on Day One is the highest-ever opening for a love story in India.
- This film has given director Mohit Suri his career-best opening.
- It recorded the most advance ticket sales for a debutant actor’s film.
- It also achieved the most advance ticket sales for a love story.
- It stands as the biggest-ever opening for a debut producer in the romance genre.
Outperforming Previous Hits
Notably, “Saiyaara” has already surpassed the total domestic collection of Alia Bhatt’s debut film, “Student of the Year” (2012), which earned Rs 70 crore in India. It has also outpaced the lifetime India collection of John Abraham’s “The Diplomat,” which grossed Rs 38.97 crore.
While the film’s box office performance is phenomenal, the critical reception has been mixed. A review from SCREEN noted that the film, despite aiming for a bitter-sweet love story, struggled with inconsistent and dialogue-heavy elements.
