Actress Aneet Padda recently revealed in an interview that playing an Alzheimer’s patient in the film Saiyaara is close to her heart because her grandfather is also suffering from the disease.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aneet said, “My dadu (grandfather) has Alzheimer’s disease, which is why the film was even more emotional for me.”
“He’s at a point now where he doesn’t remember most things, but I believed in this film because it says ‘dimaag bhool jaata hai par dil kabhi nahi bhoolta (the mind forgets but the heart does not)’, and that’s very true for my dadu. He doesn’t remember my name; he doesn’t remember most, but he calls me Heeraput, or Makkhan,” she added.
Aneet further mentioned that she didn’t expect her grandfather to recognise her while watching Saiyaara, but she was happily surprised when he did.
“The last few times that I had visited, he was okay with me sitting next to him; familiar but not knowing who I am or what’s going on. So, when my film was coming out, I thought he’s not going to know or remember. And then, my parents showed him all the videos and everything; and he smiled and said ‘Heeraput’ and ‘Makkhan di movie’; and that was very special,” Aneet said.
Directed by Mohit Suri, Saiyaara hit theatres on July 18. The film revolves around struggling singer Krish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday), who crosses paths with struggling lyricist Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda). As they collaborate on a song, sparks fly and the duo fall in love. However, Vaani is soon diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which threatens to disrupt their bond.
Saiyaara marks the first collaboration between Mohit Suri and Yash Raj Films.
Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda have also received the IMDb Breakout Star STARmeter Awards following the film’s release. In the Global 100 chart by IMDb, Aneet ranks at 64, while Ahaan has found a place at 75.
The title track for the Mohit Suri directorial debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard Global 200 singles chart, becoming the first Hindi song to achieve the feat.
Last month, the Saiyaara song also became the first Bollywood song to make it to Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart. The track by Tanishk Bagchi, Farheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami beat songs by Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga on the Spotify chart.
Aneet Padda made her acting debut with the 2022 film Salaam Venky. She also starred in the Amazon Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry.