Who Are Ahaan Panday And Aneet Padda? Meet Saiyaara Actors Who Studied At Oberoi International School And Jesus and Mary College Delhi | Education

In a country where a Friday release is still capable of halting the nation’s heartbeat, Saiyaara has done something rather unexpected—it has taken the audience by the collar and made them sit up. No item songs. No overhyped superstar cameos. No guaranteed formula. Just a film powered by a quietly confident director, a story with emotional honesty, and most intriguingly, two faces you’ve probably never seen before—but won’t soon forget. Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda aren’t just the breakout stars of 2025; they’re the ones everyone’s Googling, Instagramming, and trying to decode.

But before the red carpets, photoshoots and chartbusting songs, they were students sitting in classrooms, writing essays, pulling all-nighters before finals, and, in Aneet’s case, catching overnight buses just to make it back to Delhi in time for her 8 a.m. lectures. Their cinematic debuts may feel polished and poised, but their educational journeys were anything but predictable. In fact, that’s what makes them such fascinating new faces on the Bollywood block.

So, where exactly did the Saiyaara leads study? What books did they pore over? And how did their time at school and university shape the artists they’ve become today?

Ahaan Panday: The Oberoi International School Alumnus with a Director’s Eye

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: yes, Ahaan Panday is that Panday. Son of fitness entrepreneur Deanne Panday and businessman Chikki Panday, and cousin to actress Ananya Panday, Ahaan was born into a family that understands fame—and its pressures. But here’s the twist: he didn’t ride into Bollywood on surname alone. He studied it, lived it, and built his own bridge to it.

Ahaan completed his schooling at Oberoi International School in Mumbai—an institution known for its global curriculum and creative approach to education. According to multiple sources, it was here that his fascination with cinema first began to take shape. He reportedly took an early interest in drama and storytelling, participating in school plays and visual art projects. But instead of rushing headlong into auditions, he took the quieter, more deliberate route.

After graduating, Ahaan pursued Fine Arts and Cinematic Arts at the University of Mumbai, with a specialisation in Film and Television Production (The Economic Times). Rather than being whisked off to film sets for instant fame, he chose to start behind the camera. In fact, he spent years working as an assistant director on a string of projects—including Freaky Ali, Rock On 2, Mardaani 2, and the well-reviewed OTT series The Railway Men. These stints weren’t just footnotes in his bio. Colleagues recall him staying back late to study camera blocking, asking questions about sound design, and even offering suggestions on edit cuts.

Ahaan has always had a knack for the technical side of cinema. He once confessed in a podcast interview that he’d pause his favourite films, note down shot compositions, and try to replicate them on his phone with friends.

And he’s not all about cinema, either. Ahaan is a trained dancer, an esports enthusiast, and is said to be working on his own graphic novel-meets-music-video project. Quite the modern multi-hyphenate.

Aneet Padda: The Jesus and Mary College Graduate Who Took the Long Road to Bollywood

If Ahaan’s story feels polished, Aneet Padda’s reads more like a quietly determined novel—built on grit, restraint, and an early love for literature. Born in Amritsar in 2002, she did not grow up with proximity to the entertainment world. Her father ran a local retail shop, and her mother worked as a schoolteacher. Acting was a dream, sure—but not one she dared admit to many people growing up.

She began modelling during her late teens, doing ad campaigns to help fund her university education. One of her earliest assignments—a textile ad shot in Chandigarh—caught attention for her striking presence. But she wasn’t chasing stardom at the time. She was busy completing her undergraduate degree at Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi. She has credited her academic years with shaping her perspective on character, language, and storytelling.

While juggling college assignments, Aneet would often travel to Mumbai and Chandigarh for auditions—sometimes on overnight buses or early morning trains—only to make it back in time for her lectures. She has spoken about those years candidly, describing them as “equal parts exhilarating and exhausting”.

Before her lead role in Saiyaara, she played a supporting part in Revathy’s Salaam Venky, and later appeared in the critically acclaimed web series Big Girls Don’t Cry in 2024. That same year, she released her indie pop single Masoom, revealing a softer, musical side that many didn’t expect.

Aneet is a trained Hindustani classical vocalist and has been writing poetry since the age of 13. Some of her original verses were reportedly used as reference lyrics in the Saiyaara soundtrack—particularly in the soulful number Toot Gaye, which audiences can’t seem to get enough of.

What Is Saiyaara Really About?

Directed by Mohit Suri, Saiyaara isn’t your run-of-the-mill love story. It follows the lives of Krish Kapoor, an emotionally closed-off singer-songwriter played by Ahaan, and Vaani Batra, a headstrong journalist portrayed by Aneet. Set in a city where ambition often bulldozes over intimacy, the two fall into a connection neither expected—and spend most of the film figuring out whether love alone can weather the pressure of professional dreams.

The narrative blends emotional realism with visual flair—something Suri is well known for. The music, crafted by Mithoon and Tanishk Bagchi, is already a chart-topper, with Main Tha, Tu Thi emerging as the heartbreak anthem of the season. But more than the plot or the production, it’s the performances that have struck a chord.

You don’t watch Saiyaara to see two stars. You watch it to see two people navigating love, conflict, and self-discovery with surprising restraint and emotional clarity.

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