Fresh Faces, the Next Generation of Stars

Social media is awash with reels, tributes, and fan edits dedicated to Ahaan and his co-star Aneet Padda, as the bitter-sweet love story continues to strike a chord across generations.

But it was Ahaan’s uncle, actor Chunky Panday, who summed up the moment best. Reacting to film critic Joginder Tuteja’s viral post—“In the world of Kapoors and Khans, the Pandays came out of syllabus”— Chunky responded with a string of happy and heart emojis, later reposting it with pride. The gesture felt symbolic: a quiet but clear shift in Bollywood’s power dynamics, with the lesser-hyped Pandays stepping into the limelight.

Breaking the romantic drought

Directed by Mohit Suri, Saiyaara has achieved what many thought impossible in today’s action-heavy landscape: it brought back Bollywood romance — and did so with debutants. The film has entered the Rs 100 crore club despite minimal pre-release buzz, marketing blitz, or traditional star power.

“Saiyaara and Metro In Dino have clicked with Gen Z and Gen Alpha like few films have lately,” says a leading Delhi-based exhibitor. “What’s really worked is the freshness of these newcomers. There was hardly any hype. People didn’t even know this film was coming. It felt like much-needed rain after a long, dry spell.”

Changing of the guard?

Is Bollywood truly on the verge of a generational handover? Ahaan isn’t exactly a “hyped nepo kid.” The 27-year-old quietly worked behind the scenes as an assistant director on Freaky Ali, Rock On 2, The Railway Men, and Mardaani 2 before making his debut. And he has outshone many recent star-kid debuts. With sister Ananya Panday steadily making her mark, it raises a provocative question: are the days of dynastic dominance waning?

Film critic Joginder Tuteja offers a more tempered take. “Surnames will always matter in Bollywood. Coming from a film family gives you an edge — you’re better trained, more exposed, and more prepared,” he says.

“But yes, we do need new heroes. There’s a real scarcity of saleable names today. We don’t even have 10 actors who can guarantee a strong opening. Ahaan shows promise, but to be truly saleable, he’ll need five consistent hits. That’s the trajectory we saw with Varun Dhawan and Ranveer Singh — though even they’ve seen a recent dip and are now working to bounce back.” Tuteja points out, “It’s still early days for Ahaan and others like him, but the industry is definitely hungry for new heroes.”