Oct 15, 2026 12:15pm IST
Aneet Padda On Ahaan Panday: ‘He Would Cry Every Time, Even When The Camera Was On Me’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Aneet Padda is heading back into familiar territory. After the runaway success of “Saiyaara”, the actor is set to reunite with Ahaan Panday and filmmaker Mohit Suri for their next film, bringing together a team that already knows each other’s creative rhythms. For Padda, however, the excitement of returning to that world is rooted in something much simpler: her friendship with Panday and the trust the trio developed while making their first film.
Familiarity breeds fun
“Ahaan is my best friend, so it’ll be fun. That’s all that I’m thinking,” Padda tells Variety India exclusively. She believes the familiarity between the three of them could make their second collaboration even more rewarding, both on and off camera. “With him and Mohit Sir, it’s the same team and we’re sort of in tune emotionally and artistically. That sense of familiarity is only going to help, and it’s only going to be better for all of us,” she says. “Not only are we going to enjoy shooting more, but we’ll also be more understanding of each other’s vision for the film. So I’m excited.”
That understanding was forged during “Saiyaara”, where Padda and Panday played Vaani and Krish, respectively. Their chemistry became one of the film’s defining elements, but Padda says their connection as performers went beyond what audiences eventually saw on screen. She describes it as “this abstract feeling or understanding between two people, which is special, but I can’t even really put it into words.”
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Ahaan: Funny guy
For Padda, one of the biggest reasons that equation worked was Panday’s willingness to give his co-star everything she needed in a scene, even when the camera was not on him. “What I must say is that Ahaan is one of the most giving actors,” she says. “If it was an emotional scene and he was supposed to be crying, he would cry every time, even when the camera was on me, just to show, ‘This is how it’s going to be happening on the other side.’ He’d give me all the tools to be able to do my best. He is the most giving actor.” There was also a lighter side to their dynamic. Padda adds, “He’s the funniest guy in the world. I’ve never known anyone who makes me laugh as much as Ahaan does.”
Freedom equals trust
The actor credits Mohit Suri’s approach for allowing that equation to flourish. Rather than imposing a rigid style on his young leads, Padda says the filmmaker deliberately chose to enter their world and give them the freedom to discover the characters themselves. “It was very freeing that Mohit Sir, as a director, told us, ‘I have to go into your world instead of bringing you guys to mine,’” she recalls. “Which I think is the perfect way to sum it up. He really let us shine. He let us play and never doubted us.”
For Aneet Padda, that trust was particularly important because Suri did not over-intellectualise the process. “He’d say, ‘Y’all know, go try it out.’ When you get that kind of trust from your director, it changes the game altogether,” she says.
As she prepares to step into another film with Suri and Panday, it is that same creative freedom and familiarity that Padda is looking to carry forward. “He gave us confidence and encouraged us so much off-screen, and on-screen. I love Mohit Sir so much. He’s actually the best,” she says.
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