Saiyaara Co-Stars Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda Receive IMDb STARmeter Awards

MDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities, presented IMDb “Breakout Star” STARmeter Awards to Saiyaara co-stars Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. The award recognizes strong performers on the Popular Indian Celebrities list published on the IMDb app. The list charts the page views of the more than 250 million monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide, and has proven to be a keenly accurate predictor of stars who are about to have a breakthrough career moment. 

In the romantic drama Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films, rising stars Panday and Padda deliver compelling performances as two souls grappling with their pasts. Panday makes his big-screen debut as Krish Kapoor, a musician seeking personal and professional redemption, while Padda brings depth to Vaani Batra, a journalist confronting her inner struggles. The duo's breakout performances have catapulted them to unprecedented heights. Both have claimed the No. 1 spot in consecutive weeks on the Popular Indian Celebrities list. Their impact extends globally, with Padda and Panday ranking #64 and #75 respectively on the global top 100 most popular celebs list on IMDb in the week following the film's release, a historic achievement for co-stars from Indian cinema.

Panday shared, “The IMDb ‘Breakout Star’ STARmeter Award is the first award of my acting career, and the fact that it comes directly from audiences makes it all the more special. I spent my whole childhood scouring IMDb, seeing different polls, watching the rise and fall of various movies and shows. IMDb was a portal for me to lose myself into world cinema. To be mentioned on it, to be a part of it, to be honoured by it, and to know that I’m up there somewhere, would have been something that that a 12-year-old on his box computer could never have fathomed, but always dreamed of.” 

He added, “I’d like to thank Adi sir for believing in me and Mohit sir for being the best mentor I could have asked for in this journey of Saiyaara. Sharing this award with my co-star Aneet makes this achievement even more special. She deserves not only this but the world. For now, I want to focus on my journey ahead. I want to focus on my next film and work twice as hard to deliver another performance that I can be proud of. I’m overwhelmed to have received this unanimous love from people, it still shocks me to this day, and honestly, I think the only way to go forward is keep my head low and keep working.”

Padda echoes the sentiment, “I’m delighted that Saiyaara and my performance in it has resonated with audiences worldwide, which has led to my winning the IMDb ‘Breakout Star’ STARmeter Award. Winning an accolade that is driven by audiences makes this truly a meaningful recognition. I’m thrilled to have entertained people with a performance that has touched them. I’d like to dedicate my first award to the entire cast and crew of the film, and to Adi sir and Mohit sir for their belief in someone like me, and to my co-star Ahaan. It’s been an absolute joy to share the screen and this journey with him. It is truly precious when people believe in your skills and give you that one chance you need. Playing Vaani has been one of the most joyful and intense experiences of my life. I can’t wait to be back on screen soon and do what I love most, bringing stories and incredible characters to life. I want to focus on my next film, take all this love and channelise it to do even better on screen next time.” 

Previous IMDb “Breakout Star” STARmeter Award recipients include Monika Panwar, Zahan Kapoor, Kani Kusruti, Sharvari, Nitanshi Goel, Adarsh Gourav, Ayo Edebiri, and Regé- Jean Page.