For years, Bollywood’s romance genre has taken a backseat — with massy action films, thrillers, and mytho-fantasy dramas dominating the marquee. But Saiyaara, the Mohit Suri-directed love story featuring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has managed to turn the tide and rekindle India’s eternal love affair with romantic cinema.
Beyond Box Office: Why Saiyaara is being hailed as the revival of the romance genre in Bollywood
At its core, Saiyaara is a tale of deep yearning, emotional sacrifice, and soul-stirring connection — themes that once defined the golden age of Hindi cinema but had become sidelined in favour of spectacle and scale. With its poetic visuals, haunting soundtrack, and deeply moving performances, Saiyaara has brought back the kind of romance that stays with you long after the credits roll.
Akshaye Rathi, exhibitor and film business expert, underscores the importance of conviction in reviving the genre. “I assure you the genre was never dead! Our conviction was dead all this while. Trust me, romance is a genre that can never ever die. Love is an emotion that exists in every human being there is,” he says. “It’s only about making it in a manner that people find worthwhile to go to the theatres and watch. Mohit Suri did that and it paid off.”
He further elaborates that Saiyaara is also a response to the over-saturation of action cinema in recent years: “Suddenly, there was a narrative that only films that are big, action spectacles will work at the cinemas. By doing that, we are super-saturating and slowly killing that genre. We have to give something for every kind of an audience at every given point of time — mass entertainers, romance, comedy, and niche cinema like Laapataa Ladies.”
What’s significant is the audience’s reaction. Theatres across India witnessed not just young couples but entire families queueing up for multiple viewings. It’s no longer just about the action or comedy — people are once again craving emotional storytelling, and Saiyaara has met that hunger with grace.
The film’s success isn’t just box office-based — though crossing Rs. 84 crores in three days is no small feat — but cultural. The title track has become a viral reel trend, and fan tributes to the film’s emotionally rich climax have flooded social platforms. Critics too have hailed Saiyaara for its restraint and rawness, a welcome break from formulaic storytelling.
Veteran trade analyst Atul Mohan agrees, adding historical context to romance’s legacy in Bollywood. “Hindi film industry is known for musical romantic films, right from 1950s to 2025. But what are we making from the last 10 years? Action, thrillers, and dark films. Romance is evergreen — it’s just that the definition of romance has changed from generation to generation,” he asserts. “A love story needs to be presented well and its music needs to be strong. Dhadak did well. Aashiqui 2 was successful. Saiyaara continues that tradition.”
In many ways, Saiyaara has achieved what many big-budget films have failed to do in recent years: strike an emotional chord. Mohit Suri, known for films like Aashiqui 2, has once again reminded Bollywood that romance — when told with sincerity — never goes out of fashion.
With its roaring success, Saiyaara has not only rewritten records but reignited a genre — and that may be its biggest legacy yet.
More Pages: Saiyaara Box Office Collection , Saiyaara Movie Review
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