"Suddenly, everyone was watching us.”
Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara turned Ahaan Panday into a star almost overnight. His mother Deanne shared what life has been like since then but she also revealed the dark side of that fame.
The romantic drama, also starring Aneet Padda, became one of 2025’s biggest hits.
It sparked packed cinemas, viral social media edits, and intense fan devotion.
Theatres reported young audiences crying and cheering through the climax. Instagram was flooded with clips of Ahaan and Aneet within hours.
For viewers, it was a cultural moment.
But for Ahaan’s family, it was a sudden loss of privacy and Deanne revealed what life is like for her son.
In an interview with The Nod, she said: “Within a week of its release, he was being mobbed everywhere.
“There was paparazzi outside our house every day.
“We live a very normal life – my husband [businessman Chikki Panday] doesn’t even go to events. Suddenly, everyone was watching us.”
Deanne usually works from the second floor of their Union Park bungalow. After Saiyaara‘s success, that routine changed.
Fans and photographers now wait outside the gates daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ahaan.
Deanne continued: “His oldest fan is in his eighties and his youngest fan is two and a half – her parents sent us a video of her dancing to Saiyaara in Abu Dhabi.”
The Pandays receive thousands of letters every month, which include drawings, gifts, and handwritten notes from fans across the world.
Deanne said: “Every letter is emotional.
“Ahaan calls them [fans] his army. Some letters tell him how he’s changed their lives.
“Many are sweet and innocent — young girls writing about wanting to marry him or be his girlfriend. I find it very endearing.
“When I see women swoon over him, I get emotional. And I feel proud. It’s a very sweet feeling – your son being loved so much.”
However, not all fan behaviour has been easy to process. Deanne revealed one incident that deeply unsettled the family.
She revealed: “Just a few months ago, we received a letter written in blood.
“We wrote back asking them not to do such things. It’s harmful. That’s not what he would ever want for them.”
Before Saiyaara, the family’s post was unremarkable. It consisted mostly of bills, official letters, and party invitations.
Now, almost every envelope claims to be from Ahaan’s “number one fan”.
For Deanne, the experience is both overwhelming and eye-opening. The love is genuine, but the intensity can be frightening.
She added: “It’s new territory for all of us. But we’re learning to take it one day at a time.”
Loading ...