What does Saiyaara’s rise say about Gen Z audiences and the future of star debuts?

The Saiyaara fever is real. From teary-eyed fans swaying to love ballads, couples dancing in the aisles, and crowds erupting in cheers as the credits roll, movie halls are alive again.

With audiences flocking to the big screen, debutants Ahaan Panday has scored the most impressive launch among star kids in the past year. With the film expected to rake in a staggering ₹300 crore globally, their box office numbers are still in early days, and already setting benchmarks.

“Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara has already sold over 3.5 million tickets on BookMyShow for the opening weekend, one of the fastest-selling movies in recent months. The film’s early success reaffirms the audience’s growing appetite for emotionally rich storytelling, especially when paired with fresh, relatable talent. Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda have captured the relevance to and imagination of Gen Z and millennial viewers marking a strong debut, with the film’s soulful music and heartfelt narrative driving strong engagement pan-India, with cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Pune leading ticket sales, followed closely by Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata,” says Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow.

As Saiyaara continues its dream run, here's a look at debut stars whose first films have shattered records at the worldwide box office, based on data from box office tracking site Sacnilk. This list includes only the top five debutants who made their debut on the big screen since 2010 as lead actors.

As Saiyaara tops the list, what makes the film stand out is that it has built its success on organic fandom, pulling audiences back to theatres through sheer word-of-mouth and emotional connect. Saiyaara, as of Day 11 of its release, has amassed a whopping ₹251 crore, according to data from Sacnilk.

Following Saiyaara is Dharma Productions' Dhadak, the launchpad for Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, which collected ₹113 crore at the global box office.

If you look at the second-generation star debuts backed by major production houses, Bollywood Gen Z names like Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday saw their launch films earn around ₹96 crore each. Interestingly, some star kids such as Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor, and now Aryan Khan have opted for OTT platforms for their debuts, making it harder to directly compare their success with peers who took the theatrical route.

While many things have changed over the years, including ticket prices, comparing films across different time periods can feel a bit unfair. After all, a ₹50 crore collection a decade ago might have meant more than ₹100 crore today. Yet at the same time, the landscape of moviegoing has evolved. With more entertainment options, drawing big crowds to theatres has become harder than ever, making today’s high box office numbers an even more impressive feat.

Led by debut stars and backed by minimal marketing or PR blitz, Saiyaara deserves much commendation.

“Saiyaara is on the way to become one of the biggest opening weekend performers this year on the platform, second only to Chaava. Saiyaara is a film anchored by newcomers, backed by resonant storytelling and an emotionally charged musical core that has been able to connect quickly and meaningfully with audiences across the board. This is a powerful reminder of how theatrical content, when done right, continues to thrive,” adds Saxena.

For box office analyst Taran Adarsh, Saiyaara's success reminds one of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. The Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel-starrer had created a similar hype as Saiyaara has done today.

"The freshness of the film, the cast, the music (making all) the emotions relatable. The way Yash Raj Films (YRF) didn't want to promote the film, they kept it very low-key, so that people could go and experience it in the theatre and a supremely talented storyteller in Mohit Suri. All these factors put together have contributed to (the success of the film). You can only make a good product and then when it reaches the public domain, it's the public that decides that they want to watch the film or skip it," Adarsh adds.

For producers, this raises an important question. Is launching fresh Gen Z faces enough on its own, or should the focus shift to building genuine buzz and storytelling power instead of relying on legacy or gimmicks?