Mohit Suri has revealed that he initially rejected Ahaan Panday for Saiyaara, a film that eventually turned into a major box office success and a breakthrough for the newcomer alongside Aneet Padda.

In a recent interaction with Variety India, Suri recounted his first impression of Panday, whom he met at the insistence of Aditya Chopra. The meeting took place at Suri’s personal workspace, but the actor did not immediately fit the director’s vision for the role.

“He comes there, and I didn’t find him like Krish Kapoor at all. I found him to be a sweet, really soft boy. So I told Adi sir, ‘He is not the kind of guy.’ And we did spend two or three meetings where I actually completely rejected him,” Suri said.

At the time, the filmmaker believed Panday lacked the intensity required for the character.

The turning point came after Chopra encouraged Suri to give Ahaan another opportunity. During a subsequent dinner meeting, Suri informed him that he would not be cast, leading to a shift in the actor’s demeanour.

“I think that’s when he stopped pretending to impress me, and we just went out like normal people. And suddenly that night, I saw him come alive. Because by the end of the night, I can’t talk about the details, but he was standing at the bar. And he was pretty much like Krish Kapoor,” Suri said.

Suri also said his family has a connection to the Pandays. “My father and his father were surprisingly friends when my father was probably my age, and his dad was probably his age. And that’s weird, because I remember meeting his dad. He was probably not even born at that time.”

Released in 2025, Saiyaara went on to become one of Suri’s biggest commercial successes, earning around Rs 579 crore at the box office.