Saiyaara special screening for creators with 20K+ followers, featuring brunch and curated gifts – Beyond Bollywood

As the YRF film with two rookie actors soars at the box office, a purported special screening at Roongta Cinemas in Vaishali, Ghaziabad, for premium influencers and bloggers raises questions about the film’s organic collections.

By Mayur Lookhar

Director Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara (2025) is turning out to be the surprise blockbuster of the year.

The love story, featuring debutant Ahaan Kapoor and rookie actor Aneet Padda, has been setting the box office on fire over its opening weekend. According to trade portal Sacnilk, its estimated Day 3 collection stands at a staggering Rs37 crore nett, taking the opening weekend total to a phenomenal Rs83 crore nett – the highest for a Bollywood film featuring two rookie actors.

Saiyaara opened with Rs21 crore on Day 1, followed by approximately Rs25 crore on Day 2. A huge first Sunday has made it loud and clear: this is the film the nation is hooked on.

Not just the Hindi-speaking markets, but praise is also coming from the South. Telugu star Mohan Babu is the latest to heap admiration on the Bollywood romantic drama.

While the industry, audience, and media are all going gaga over the film, Saiyaara’s massive box office numbers have also left many stunned.

How can a film featuring two rookies, who were kept away from the media during promotions, manage such collections?

We’re living in times of corporate bookings, bulk bookings, and various offers. But these tactics are usually associated with films starring superstars. Aneet Padda is just two films old, and Chunky Panday’s nephew Ahaan is making his debut. Such a film earning over Rs20 crore a day, especially in times when some of our biggest stars have struggled to open in double digits, naturally raises eyebrows.

Murmurs about Panday’s privileged background are growing louder with each passing day. One can’t choose where they’re born, but earlier this evening, we came across a purported Saiyaara special screening invite that was shared on an WhatsApp group for influencers.

A source shared the invite for a special screening of Saiyaara at Roongta Cinemas in Vaishali, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh / Delhi NCR.

We haven’t independently verified the invite, but as seen in the image above, it appears to be a Cinefluence event – a special screening held at 12 PM for social media influencers and bloggers. The invite mentions special goodies and surprises.

It also specifies that the screening is for creators with over 20K followers and includes high tea, brunch, and curated gifts.

Now, special screenings for influencers are not new. So what’s the fuss? Well, such events are typically held a day or two before release. In the case of studios like YRF, which traditionally hold press screenings only on Fridays, a special screening on Day 3 (Sunday) is unusual. Most likely, this was organised independently by Roongta Cinemas.

But considering the nature of the event – high tea, press interactions, brunch, goodies – what are the odds that the creators attending this remain truly objective? We won’t speculate.

If Roongta did organise the screening, are they also providing the goodies? And since it was held on a Sunday, would this screening be counted in Day 3 collections? Were more such screenings held across the country?

In a time when traditional press shows and early reviews no longer hold much credibility, a Day 3 screening for influencers may be a smart strategy to build word-of-mouth. But is it entirely organic? That question will naturally lead to more speculation over Saiyaara’s box office numbers.

Earlier this year, similar buzz surrounded Sky Force, which marked the debut of former Maharashtra CM Sushil Kumar Shinde’s kin, Veer Pahariya. Despite all the feeding rumours, Sky Force didn’t pull in the kind of numbers Saiyaara has.

Post-release influencer screenings will naturally spark doubts, but no film can earn Rs83 crore nett in three days purely through feeding. So, Saiyaara must be given its due. Mohit Suri’s film has clearly struck a chord with the nation.

Made on an estimated budget of Rs60 crore, Saiyaara was initially released across 1,750 screens in India. The huge Day 2 numbers likely led to an increase in screenings.

Organic or not, a struggling Bollywood will certainly welcome the phenomenal performance of Saiyaara at the box office.

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