As filmmaker Mohit Suri's latest Bollywood film Saiyaara, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, continues to make waves at the box office, an unusual fan reaction has gone viral on social media. A video has surfaced online showing a shirtless man screaming, hitting himself, and nearly fainting inside a cinema hall while the film was being screened.
In the now-viral clip, the fan can be seen collapsing onto the theatre floor and pounding his chest with his fists, appearing visibly overwhelmed, particularly during the emotional title track Saiyaara.
Other members of the audience are also heard screaming, seemingly caught up in the high-voltage atmosphere.
While the exact location of the theatre remains unknown, the video has added to the growing frenzy surrounding the film, which has already earned Rs 45 crore at the box office within two days of release.
The authenticity of the video is yet to be verified, and some social media users have even speculated whether it was staged or exaggerated for viral attention.
The video was posted on Instagram by Filmfare. While some users mocked the man seen in the video, others speculated that it was a deliberate 'paid PR stunt' designed to generate hype around the film.
Here's how netizens reacted:
However, this isn't the only instance of extreme fan reactions. Several other videos have emerged showing audiences reacting with tears, claps, and cheers during key moments in the film.
Check out some other now-viral videos here:
Directed by Mohit Suri, Saiyaara follows the emotional love story of Krish (Ahaan), a passionate musician, and Vaani (Aneet), a shy aspiring journalist, whose lives are turned upside down after a heartbreaking diagnosis.
Saiyaara success
At a time when Bollywood has been struggling to draw audiences to theatres, Saiyaara has emerged as an unexpected hit and that too without the blitz of promotional gimmicks or back-to-back interviews. Interestingly, the film's lead pair, Ahaan and Aneet, chose to stay away from the spotlight until the release.
A key factor behind the film's soaring popularity is its music. Audiences have also drawn strong comparisons between Saiyaara and Mohit's earlier romantic hit Aashiqui 2, a film that holds cult status among millennials. With Saiyaara, it seems Gen Z is finally experiencing its own version of that heart-wrenching, old-school Bollywood romance.
The response has been so overwhelming that theatres across the country are running to packed houses. Several national cinema chains have added early morning and even midnight shows to accommodate the growing demand.
