Mahesh Bhatt on Mohit Suri's Saiyaara: 'It will rewrite rules of romantic films'

Mahesh Bhatt, who launched Mohit Suri with Zeher (2005) some 20 years ago, is now witnessing his protégé forge his own path, with a film that is drawing comparisons to the veteran filmmaker's own legendary work. Saiyaara, Suri's latest directorial, set to release on July 18, has revived memories of Bhatt's 1990 romantic drama Aashiqui and continues a practice to which both filmmakers seem devoted: introducing new talent through narratives led by music.

Revisiting Aashiqui

In an interview with Mid Day, Bhatt said that the making of Aashiqui was an incredibly innocent experience for me. The filmmaker called himself lucky that people connected to it and made the two newcomers into overnight stars. He is referring to Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal, who became famous thanks to the musical hit.

Newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda are now carrying the same weight of expectation in Saiyaara. In Bhatt's opinion, the film could live up to, if not exceed, the influence of Aashiqui in the past. It is his expectation that Suri would follow suit with Saiyaara. Bhatt also said that it's incredible that the film brings up memories of Aashiqui, but he assures viewers that it will revolutionise the standards of modern romance films. The filmmaker stated that each next generation must be better than the one before it. It would make him extremely happy if Suri, who is his protégé, outdid him in every way imaginable. 

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Mohit Suri's track record with Aashiqui 2

Bhatt has previously given Suri the responsibility of continuing the Aashiqui franchise. He gave him creative control of Aashiqui 2 in 2013, and the film was a huge financial success, further elevating the filmmaker's profile.

When asked about his long-term relationship with Suri as a mentor, Bhatt said that he has always pushed the director to try new things, particularly when collaborating with people with less experience. He expressed that it brings him immense joy to collaborate with two exceptional performers, describing Saiyaara as a refreshing shift in direction. According to him, that solely occurs with newcomers.

Coming up to its release date, Bhatt's assurance in Saiyaara implies more than simply a nostalgic journey—it's a handoff of responsibility and a subtle hope that Suri can reimagine the genre that his mentor helped create.