Overview

• Aneet Padda says her first meeting for Saiyaara went disastrously because she arrived in a look unlike the character, prompting Mohit Suri to initially balk until Ahaan Panday urged a second chance.
• Returning in a simple shirt and jeans, Padda convinced Suri she fit the part, an anecdote he recounts as pivotal to her casting opposite debutant Ahaan Panday.
• Padda recalls landing on scam audition sites at 17 and sending cold emails to 50–70 production houses during the pandemic, leaving many with her early tapes and a “horrible biodata.”
• She says doubts persisted while juggling college and acting until casting director Shanoo Sharma invited her to audition at Yash Raj Films post‑graduation, leading to Saiyaara.
• Aneet adds that Alia Bhatt publicly praised the film and then gushed to her on a call for nearly ten minutes, as the Mohit Suri–directed hit has gone on to post ₹569.75 crore worldwide and expand on Netflix.