Ahaan Panday reacts to viral video of fan watching Saiyaara with IV drip in theatre

One of the most unexpected success stories of 2025 was that of debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, who became overnight stars after their film Saiyaara became a blockbuster. Directed by Mohit Suri, the romantic film emerged as one of last year's highest-grossing releases, alongside big-ticket titles like Dhurandhar and Chhaava.

The craze for Saiyaara was unprecedented, with people going all out to shower love for the film. Many videos of the audience breaking down while watching the film were widely circulated. One viral video showed a man watching the film in the theatre while being hooked to an IV drip. The video caught everyone’s attention and most felt it was PR orchestrated. Now Ahaan has commented on the viral video.

Ayaan Panday opens up about man watching Saiyaara hooked up to an IV drip

Despite minimal pre-release promotions, Saiyaara struck a chord with audiences, largely due to the fresh pairing of Ahaan and Aneet.

Many would recall a viral video featuring a man in a Mumbai cinema hall who was seen watching Saiyaara while hooked up to an IV drip. While many social media users were moved by his apparent dedication, others speculated that the incident was a staged marketing strategy by the film’s team.

Now, months after the film’s release, Ahaan Panday has spoken about the incident. In a recent interview to Esquire India, the actor clarified that the man seen in the viral clip was undergoing dialysis at the time.

“You know what, that was actually a person who had dialysis. Mohit sir found out later because we were curious about how all of this was happening,” Ahaan said and dismissed rumours that the video was part of a promotional stunt.

Ahaan also reflected on why Saiyaara connected so deeply with viewers. The young actor felt that the audience may have been yearning for authenticity. “For so many years, we had such a set way of thinking about how things had to be done. It became so rigid. Maybe people just wanted something with artists not trying to be perfect. Romance is not perfect. Love is never perfect,” he said.

Directed by Mohit Suri, Saiyaara went on to become one of the biggest Hindi film successes of 2025, with a spectacular theatrical run across India and overseas.

The romantic drama ultimately grossed an estimated Rs 570 crore worldwide by the end of its theatrical run and made Ahaan and Aneet stars overnight.

Ahaan's upcoming project

After the success of Saiyaara, Ahaan will be collaborating with filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar on an upcoming action project. The yet-untitled film also stars Sharvari and is scheduled to go on floors in Mumbai this month, with a second shooting schedule planned in the United Kingdom.