After years of anticipation, Ahaan Panday has finally made his much-awaited silver screen debut with ‘Saiyaara’, a film that has not only shattered box office records but also catapulted him and co-star Aneet Padda to instant stardom. Following in the footsteps of his uncle Chunky Panday and cousin Ananya Panday, Ahaan’s entry into Bollywood might seem sudden, but it has been a long journey for him to reach this point. It has been a journey of nine years. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, YRF’s casting director Shanoo Sharma opened up about Ahaan’s long and demanding road to stardom. She revealed that Ahaan, along with actress Sharvari (who debuted in Bunty Aur Babli 2 in 2021), underwent rigorous training before even stepping in front of the camera. “The first three years went into training. We trained, and we trained, we got, Sharvari was also on that bandwagon. So we got Sharvari and him to do improvisation and scenes, and scenes, and scenes. So I was training them personally,” Shanoo recalled.
Just as things seemed to be falling into place, the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt, forcing Ahaan into a longer waiting period. Not one to sit idle, he chose to gain behind-the-scenes experience by working as an assistant director on ‘The Railway Men’. When asked whether Ahaan ever felt disheartened by the delays, Shanoo shared, “He saw the world moving ahead, he saw everybody from his generation moving ahead. I don’t know, I think it must have irked him within, and you could see that if you really knew him well enough, but I don’t think it ever broke his spirit. The one thing Ahaan has is spirit. He has spirit of another level. So I don’t think it broke that.” ‘Saiyaara’ has now crossed Rs 300 crore at the box office in India. The film directed by Mohit Suri has now begun to slow down after ruling at the box office for three weeks.
