Rating: 7/10
I walked into Saiyaara with zero expectations. No hype, no trailer on loop, not even a hit song stuck in my head. Just a quiet evening and a movie I knew little about. And maybe that’s exactly why it worked for me.
The story follows two broken souls — both scarred in their own ways — who somehow find comfort in each other’s chaos. There’s love, loss, passion, pain… and that typical Mohit Suri intensity. The rawness, the dimly lit beauty, the lingering silences — Saiyaara has that familiar look and feel we’ve come to expect from his films.
The two newcomers — honestly, they did a decent job. Not extraordinary, but they had a certain honesty on screen. I didn’t find myself nitpicking their performance, and that in itself says something. They held their emotional ground, especially in the second half.
What also struck me was the quietness around the film before its release. No grand promotions. No over-the-top social media blitz. Just a simple rollout — which, in today’s world of aggressive marketing and pre-release noise, felt refreshingly low-key. It almost mirrored the film’s emotional tone. Maybe it was intentional. Maybe it was budget. But oddly enough, that minimalism worked — at least for someone like me who stumbled upon it without expectations.
While watching, I kept getting flashes of Aashiqui 2, Rockstar, and even Dil Ka Kya Kasoor. That same cocktail of angst, melody, and brooding romance. Especially the emotional palette — familiar yet reinterpreted.
Now, let’s talk about the music — or rather, my confusion with it.
Why is it that today’s movie albums, especially in emotional dramas, just don’t land the way they used to? Is it the composition? The arrangement? Or maybe… is it me?
Because I still go back to Aashiqui 2 and Rockstar — both from over a decade ago — and feel the same lump in my throat. And Dil Ka Kya Kasoor? Well, that’s 90s gold. Music back then had a kind of softness, a kind of soul.
With Saiyaara, the music felt more functional than magical. It moved the story but didn’t stay with me. But who knows — maybe it’ll grow on me after a few late-night replays.
That said, Saiyaara as a film surprised me. It’s not flawless — but it tries. And it has heart. Sometimes, that’s enough.
And maybe because I had no expectations going in — thanks to its quiet marketing — it felt even better.
A sweet surprise I didn’t see coming.
