Actor Varun Badola, who was recently seen in the blockbuster ‘Saiyaara’, has weighed in on the film’s runaway success and the performances of its debutant leads, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Despite chatter that the film signals the end of the “star era,” Varun isn’t convinced.Directed by Mohit Suri, the romantic drama has stormed past the ₹500 crore mark worldwide, placing it among the highest-grossing Hindi films ever. The film’s rise has drawn comparisons to ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, and ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ that launched Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Hrithik Roshan, respectively.Speaking to Nayandeep Rakshit, Varun addressed the claim that Saiyaara’s success proves films don’t need big stars anymore. “People are saying that this film has proven that we don’t need stars anymore. That’s not true. Abhi tum Ahaan Panday ko utha ke Jawan mein daalo, Jawan flop ho jayegi. Shah Rukh ko Saiyaara mein daal do, Saiyaara flop ho jayegi. Shah Rukh will suddenly become too big for the film, and Ahaan will not have the personality to run Jawan.”While he refrained from making predictions about Ahaan’s future, Varun noted that the actor’s career would depend heavily on his upcoming choices. Produced by Aditya Chopra, Saiyaara became Ahaan’s debut vehicle after another project he was attached to was shelved. Varun praised Ahaan’s screen presence and expressed admiration for Aneet’s command over Hindi. He also remarked on the film’s father-son dynamic: “very ‘Bhatt camp’,” he said, adding that it made sense since Mohit Suri began his career under Mahesh Bhatt.Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Varun has spoken bluntly about the film. In an earlier interview with SCREEN, he questioned the authenticity of some of the fanfare. “I saw the euphoria on Instagram. Log jo chudiyaan tod rahe hai, chaatiyaan peet rahe hai. I think the promotions team went a little overboard there, where people are going to see the film, putting IV drips. Those people must have been told to give content in some way; thank god, people didn’t get their legs broken and went crawling to see the film,” he said.
