Director Mohit Suri reveals how Mahesh Bhatt guided him through filming a crucial emotional scene in Saiyaara, involving Ahaan Panday’s character and his father. Suri shares how Bhatt's personal advice helped him stay authentic while tackling the intense moment
Mohit Suri and Mahesh Bhatt
Director Mohit Suri recently witnessed the biggest box office success of his career with the romantic musical Saiyaara. The film marked the debut of Ahaan Panday and also starred Aneet Padda as the female lead. The emotional love story has struck a chord with audiences, and its impact is clearly visible at the box office. The film also explores the strained relationship between Ahaan’s character Krish and his father, played by Varun Badola.
Mohit Suri on Mahesh Bhatt's influence in Saiyaara
Ahead of the film’s release, Suri spoke to mid-day and shared how Mahesh Bhatt helped him visualise a crucial scene where Krish loses control and gets violent with his father outside a major music label's office. In the scene, Krish reacts strongly after his father is caught by the police for public nuisance under the influence of alcohol. When the father shows no remorse, Krish loses his temper, pushes him onto the road, and engages in an intense verbal exchange.
However, shooting the scene wasn’t easy for Suri, who sought advice from his mentor Mahesh Bhatt. “Bhatt saab always pushed you to find the diamond within yourself,” Suri said. “That’s why there’s no similarity between what I make or what Vikram Bhatt, Anurag Basu, or Kunal Deshmukh make. He has a different approach for each of us. But what does he really do? He doesn’t know the script. He doesn’t know the music. He doesn’t get involved in the traditional ways.”
Suri recalled the conversation he had with Bhatt before filming the scene. “It was a dramatic moment in the story — where Krish lashes out at his father. I had entered the studio, and it was Yash Raj Studios. I remember thinking, maybe I’m pushing it too far, given their value system. Am I crossing a line? The next day at 7 AM, I called up Bhatt saab and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’”
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The call with Bhatt
“I told him, ‘I’m feeling unsure. Am I going overboard? Am I making it too violent or dramatic? These are really nice people here.’ And Bhatt saab, after a few choice swear words, noticed my profile picture. It was a photo of my five-year-old son’s hand in mine. He said, ‘If someone puts up a picture like that as their DP, you can never shoot that scene wrong.’ Because deep down, the scene is about the emotional bond between a father and son."
“He told me, ‘No matter what, the director’s morality will always come through. You cannot shoot that scene wrong. I know your equation with your father and how you feel about your son.’”
“No matter how violent the scene looked, it would never be interpreted the wrong way,” Suri added. “And he was completely right. Adi (Aditya Chopra) sir and everyone else at the studio saw it, and they all loved the scene. That’s the magic of Bhatt saab, that’s how he contributes.”
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