Bollywood has always been recognised globally for its magical and grand love stories with soulful music. However, it has been decades since a romantic drama film ignited a frenzy among fans and became a blockbuster. It seems that Yash Raj Films’ Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri, is poised to break this years-long drought of romantic movies. Starring two debutants, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, Saiyaara has already amassed over Rs. 4 crores with pre-bookings itself. However, the Central Board of Film Certification, on the other hand, has cut 10 seconds of a bold scene in the film.
Saiyaara has earned Rs. 4.41 crores even before its release
Twelve years ago, there was anticipation among the people for the release of Aashiqui 2, starring two newcomers, Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor. The love story of an emotionally vulnerable musician and a sweet and simple girl had touched the hearts of people with its songs and trailer alone. Years later, made by the same director, Mohit Suri and with a similar premise, Saiyaara has created the same excitement among cinephiles who have been yearning for a Bollywood romantic movie. As a result, this film has already earned a significant amount before its release.
According to a Sacnilk report, with pre-bookings, Saiyaara has sold over one lakh tickets and earned Rs. 4.41 crore. However, it is expected that when the film releases on July 18, 2025, it will likely reach double-digit earnings on the opening day, driven by on-the-spot bookings. These numbers are quite huge for a film with debutants.
Currently, the record for the highest opening day earnings with debutants as leads is held by Dhadak, which starred Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, collecting nearly Rs. 8 crore on its first day. Meanwhile, the record of selling the highest number of tickets on the first day for a film with debut actors is held by Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, which was the first movie of Hritik Roshan and Ameesha Patel. The film was released on January 14, 2000 and had sold 4 lakh tickets on its opening day. It will be interesting to see if Saiyaara can break this twenty-five-year record.
CBFC cuts ten seconds of a bold scene of Saiyaara
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has recently been in headlines for trimming a 30-second kiss scene in Superman. Amid this, Bollywood Hungama has reported that the CBFC had also asked the filmmakers of Saiyaara to delete ‘sensual, intimacy, body exposure visuals’. As a result, ten seconds of an intimate scene were cut from the film. The board also requested that the makers replace ‘objectionable’ words with ‘appropriate’ ones. A disclaimer was also requested to be added in scenes featuring two-wheelers for helmet safety purposes. After all these changes, Saiyaara was given a U/A 16+ certificate.
What are your thoughts on the prebooking earnings of Saiyaara and CBFC cutting ten seconds of bold scenes from the film?
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