What did Virat Kohli do at a nightclub that inspired Mohit Suri to create Ahaan Panday’s character in Saiyaara?

Saiyaara director Mohit Suri recalled an incident from a decade ago, when Virat Kohli was still new to cricket and building his career. Inspired by Kohli’s confidence, Suri went on to create the character of Krish Kapoor in Saiyaara.

The box office success of Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s romantic film Saiyaara, which hit theatres on July 18 last month, is commendable. The film earned a total of Rs 328.5 crore at the domestic box office, while its worldwide collection reached Rs 563.5 crore.

The story of this musical romantic film, made under the Yash Raj banner, touched the hearts of millions of viewers. Everyone who walked out of the theatre praised the film. But what you might not know is that Mohit Suri was inspired to make this film by one night from Virat Kohli’s life. We’re not saying this, the director himself revealed it.

According to a report by The Right Angle, Saiyaara director Mohit Suri recalled the decade when Virat Kohli was new to cricket and was building his career. Mohit shared that he had once seen Virat Kohli in a nightclub. That night, Virat said something that the director will remember forever.

Is there any similarity between the characters of Krish Kapoor and Virat Kohli?

Recalling the incident, Mohit Suri shared that on that night in the club, Virat Kohli was telling his friends that one day he would become a great cricketer. The confidence he had in himself stayed with the director. Years later, when Virat Kohli rose to become a star cricketer for the Indian team, Mohit Suri was reminded of the words he had heard that night.

“I remember seeing Virat Kohli once when he was like a newcomer in a nightclub I think. And I remember him once saying, ‘You see, I’m going to be the biggest cricketer’, overheard him saying it to some people. And he was a newcomer that time. He’s younger than me, so I’ve seen that and he’s had his ups, and the glorious career that he’s had. But he’s had his downs also. And then he comes back after over a thousand days and scores a century again”, Suri said.

Mohit Suri further said, “He truly is a legend and you’ll have people who make scores and break records but if you want to be remembered forever, you have to live the life that Virat lived. That was the best example to give. He’s done it his way. He’s given to cricket. So I just wanted this analogy to make music, not by just making a hit, not just scoring a century, but by giving something back to music like how Virat has. So, all power to him man. I’m a Virat Kohli fan.”

Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s film is all set to release on the OTT platform Netflix soon after 2 months of making a splash in theaters. Let us tell you that Saiyaara is one of the hit films of this year.