Saiyaara Movie Review: A Musical Romance That Mostly Strikes the Right Chords

Mohit Suri returns behind the director's desk with "Saiyaara", a sentimental musical romance drama that launches newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in the lead. Directed by Akshaye Widhani on the strength of Yash Raj Films, the movie has high hopes riding over it, especially after whiffs of sentimentality in its soulful music and emotionally-wrought trailer. Suri, who has done well in films like "Aashiqui 2" and "Ek Villain", tries to recreate that emotional chemistry — and succeeds more or less.

Storyline

"Saiyaara" is the tale of Ayaan (Ahaan Panday), a small-town boy who becomes a musician, traveling to Mumbai for his dreams. He meets Zara (Aneet Padda), a feisty writer with a troubled past, there. With lives of the two crossing paths, love is amidst art aspirations, family melodrama, and emotional scars. But when love blossoms between them, life presents them with issues that test their commitment, aspirations, and themselves. It is a tale of love, loss, and self-discovery, narrated through the artist's brush of music.

Positive Points

The film's strongest aspect is undoubtedly its music. The music, performed by Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari, is a chartbuster in itself and a work of beauty to be had as accompaniment to the emotional depth of the plot. Ahaan Panday makes his debut with a raw but earnest performance, and his on-screen chemistry with Aneet Padda is fresh and credible. Padda delivers a confident and emotive performance as well. The cinematography is endearing, particularly in capturing the distinction between small-town friendliness and the bustle of Mumbai. 

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Negative Points

While the movie succeeds on an emotional level, it falters where it concerns pacing in the second half when the narrative moves at a slower rate and some of the subplots are underdeveloped, and it walks along familiar lines, using tropes that have previously been done in previous Suri movies. Also, there are melodramatic dialogues and exaggerate essential emotional moments.

Overall: "Saiyaara" is not a game-breaker, but it provides us with an endearing and music-driven romance drama that appeals to its target audience. The debut acting performance of its stars, combined with an earworm-inducing soundtrack and the emotional narrative skills of Mohit Suri, makes the movie worth watching.