Last Updated:
Aneet Padda shares how, at 17, she fell for fake audition scams while chasing her acting dreams before her Saiyaara breakthrough with Ahaan Panday.
Aneet Padda was seen in Saiyaara.
Before she became the fresh new face lighting up the screen in Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, Aneet Padda was just a wide-eyed 17-year-old with a dream, a dodgy internet connection, and a list of Google searches that read: “acting auditions near me.” What followed was a crash course in the harsh realities of chasing fame, a journey through fake websites, awkward self-tapes, and rejections that would eventually pave the way for her big break.
In a recent chat with Cosmopolitan India, the Saiyaara star opened up about her early struggles, revealing that nearly every major production house in Bollywood still has a copy of her “horrible biodata and Snapchat filter photos.”
Speaking to Cosmopolitan India, Padda said her love for performance began in childhood. “I was never a casual cinema-goer,” she shared, recalling how a school play in Amritsar at the age of 10 sparked her fascination with acting.
Despite her growing interest, Padda revealed that encouragement was scarce at the time. “For the longest time I told myself ‘you are so silly for even wanting to do anything about this.’ I stopped dreaming for a while,” she admitted, explaining how the lack of support from friends and even her father, who had once harboured acting ambitions himself, deepened her self-doubt.
Determined to pursue acting as a teenager, Padda began searching online for auditions. “I came across shady websites that were basically scams,” she recalled. At 17, she even hired friends to rehearse scenes with her but soon decided to continue alone, joking that “the chemistry was a bit off.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, her search for genuine opportunities intensified. “Almost every production has my horrible biodata and Snapchat filter photos,” she said with a laugh, adding that she had sent audition tapes and emails to nearly 70 production houses in hopes of being noticed.
Eventually, Padda realised that legitimate casting opportunities were often managed through professional agencies.
Before earning her first lead role in Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, Padda appeared in Kajol’s Salaam Venky and the coming-of-age drama Big Girls Don’t Cry.
Saiyaara is a musical romantic drama directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films. The film, loosely inspired by the 2004 Korean classic A Moment to Remember, marks the acting debut of Ahaan Panday alongside newcomer Aneet Padda in the lead roles.
Released in theatres on July 18, 2025, Saiyaara received widespread acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling, Mohit Suri’s sensitive direction, and the lead pair’s chemistry. Critics hailed the film’s music and emotional depth, calling it one of Suri’s finest works. Proving to be a massive box-office success, Saiyaara collected over Rs 579 crore globally, becoming the second highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025 and the top-earning Indian romantic film of all time.
October 06, 2025, 07:55 IST
