‘Saiyaara’, one of Indian cinema’s highest-grossing romantic films, has won the Popular Choice Award at the Yellowstone International Film Festival 2025.
The musical romantic drama, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, earned nearly ₹570 crore worldwide. Directed by Mohit Suri, the film released on July 18.
Saiyaara’s producer and YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani, along with director Mohit Suri, accepted the Popular Choice Award at a ceremony in Mumbai. “This is really special. I’ve been around for 20 years, and this is my first award,” Suri said.
The 44-year-old filmmaker, known for hits like ‘Aashiqui 2’ and ‘Kalyug’, said ‘Saiyaara’ was especially meaningful as it was his first film with YRF. He recalled watching ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ as a child and realising he wanted to become a filmmaker.
Suri thanked Widhani for his support and remembered presenting the ‘Saiyaara’ script to Aditya Chopra and Widhani, who immediately backed it. He added that YRF wanted “the best film and best music,” and he was thrilled to have met their expectations.
According to an official statement, ‘Saiyaara ’s title track became the first Hindi song to enter the Billboard Global Top 10.
With the film’s massive success, many compared Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s debut to Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel’s launch in ‘Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai’ (2000). Widhani said the film’s record-breaking run as “the highest-grossing love story of all time” made the team incredibly proud, praising Mohit Suri for doing an “exceptional job.” He added that the award belonged to the entire cast and crew who worked tirelessly to bring the film to life.
