Bollywood romantic drama Saiyaara has shattered box office records with its debut opening, earning $11.9 million worldwide and establishing itself as the ninth highest weekend grosser globally, according to Comscore data, per variety.com.
The Yash Raj Films production generated $11.3 million domestically, making it India’s top grossing title for the weekend, while earning $664,000 in North America. In India, “Saiyaara” achieved the second highest opening weekend of 2025, trailing only Chhaava, currently the year’s top grossing Indian film.
The film marked a breakthrough opening day on July 18, collecting INR25 crore ($2.9 million) with 975,000 footfalls nationwide. This performance represents one of the biggest opening day results for a debutant-led project in Indian cinema history, matching the significance of 2000’s Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and Refugee.
Saiyaara stars newcomer Ahaan Panday as Krish Kapoor, a rising musician navigating the modern music industry, opposite emerging talent Aneet Padda (Big Girls Don’t Cry) as Vaani Batra, a principled songwriter. Their professional partnership evolves into a passionate romance fraught with complications.
Director Mohit Suri, known for Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain, achieved his career-best opening with the project. The film becomes the first post-COVID love story to exceed $2 million in a single day.
Remarkably, these figures were generated with only 8,000 screenings nationwide—significantly fewer than the typical 18,000 shows usually required for such substantial numbers. Theatre chains reported widespread sold-out performances across major markets.
The success was achieved through an unconventional marketing strategy that kept lead actors away from public exposure, forgoing traditional interviews, promotional tours, and social media campaigns. The film is produced by YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani.
