When a new Bollywood love story catches the imagination of audiences, comparisons with classics are almost inevitable. That’s exactly what’s happening with Saiyaara, Mohit Suri’s romantic drama starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, which has already rewritten box-office history. But actor Ameesha Patel, who made her debut with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai alongside Hrithik Roshan back in 2000, doesn’t think it’s fair to draw parallels between the two films.
Recently, speaking with Times Now News, Ameesha shared her perspective on the ongoing chatter. She praised Saiyaara for introducing fresh faces to Bollywood but firmly pointed out that her own debut film wasn’t anything like it.
“Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai was not tragic.”
Ameesha was quick to set the record straight on how Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai is often remembered. “It was a cheesy commercial, a downright romantic rom-com kind of film. It had humor, music, double roles, and was happy in every way. It was not tragic in any way,” she said.
She also reminded audiences of the cultural impact her debut had. It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai first lit up the screens, because the magic still feels so fresh. The songs can stop you in your tracks and give you goosebumps, and the second Hrithik and Ameesha’s hook step comes on, you almost instinctively find yourself tapping along, grinning like it’s the year 2000 all over again. “People still do the tag step, the hook step, and everything,” she laughed.
On Saiyaara and the need for fresh faces
While Ameesha didn’t want to indulge in comparisons, she was more than happy to applaud Saiyaara. “It was high time this industry got a few fresh faces—faces that run, that people love, and that know how to create new actors. It’s very necessary,” she said.
According to her, Saiyaara resonates with Gen Z in a way that Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai resonated with audiences at the turn of the millennium. “Saiyaara was a film, honestly, that the Gen Z grabbed more than at all levels,” Ameesha explained. “I’m just glad that Gen Z got a set of actors for them that they can relate to and a film that they could grab onto.”
Why comparisons don’t make sense
It’s not unusual for cinephiles and critics to put films side by side, but Ameesha feels it’s a bit of a mismatch in this case. “You can’t compare apples and oranges,” she said with a smile.
Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai was designed as a mainstream entertainer by Rakesh Roshan—complete with double roles, action, romance, and chartbuster music. It was larger than life. On the other hand, Saiyaara, while also a love story, is a contemporary drama made for today’s youth. Both may belong to the same genre, but the intent, treatment, and eras they belong to are vastly different.
A peek into the past: Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai
When it hit theaters in 2000, it wasn’t just another release; it felt like a once-in-a-generation moment that swept everyone off their feet. Hrithik Roshan was a star overnight, Ameesha Patel was introduced in her feature film, and the music of the film dominated the charts for months. Directed by Rakesh Roshan, it also included such stalwarts as Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Mohnish Bahl, and Farida Jalal.
The movie earned close to ₹79 crore globally, which was gigantic back then, and it remains one of the biggest opening films for Bollywood to this day.
The emergence of Saiyaara
Fast-forward to 2025, and Bollywood is abuzz with Saiyaara. The movie, directed by Mohit Suri and bankrolled by Yash Raj Films CEO Akshay Widhani, features newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in the lead roles, with Geeta Agarwal, Rajesh Kumar, Varun Badola, and Shaad Randhawa in supporting roles.
The film hit theaters on July 18 and later dropped on Netflix in September. By then, it had already become the highest-grossing love story of all time. According to the trade portal Sacnilk.com, Saiyaara earned ₹329.2 crore net in India and grossed ₹569.75 crore worldwide. Those numbers are staggering, especially for a debutant-led love story.
Two films, two eras, one love for romance
At the end of the day, Ameesha Patel’s point stands: Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Saiyaara may both be romantic films, but they belong to different cinematic universes. One was the dawn of a new millennium, introducing Hrithik Roshan as Bollywood’s Greek God and gifting Ameesha a dream debut. Second is the story of how Gen Zers have picked up on new celebrities like Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, making them overnight household names.
Both the movies, however, reassert an age-old truism: Bollywood will never run out of space for love stories. Whether it is the sentimentalism of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai or the novelty of Saiyaara, audiences never tire of romance on the silver screen.