Mohit Suri’s romantic musical drama ‘Saiyaara’ has pulled off a stunning feat even before a single show has officially begun. With advance booking collections surpassing Rs 7.50 crore, the film has already cemented its place as the second biggest Day 1 opener for a debutant-led film, overtaking the 2012 release ‘Student of the Year’, which had managed a Day 1 total of Rs 7.48 crore.

At 4 PM the advance booking for the film stands at Rs 7.50 crore of which Rs 2.48 crore comes from block booking. What makes this achievement even more extraordinary is that ‘Saiyaara’ reached this milestone purely through advance bookings, before counting any r Day 1 walk-ins. Starring newcomers Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday, the film is riding high on a wave of buzz driven by its soulful music, emotional trailer, and the brand value of director Mohit Suri, known for cult hits like ‘Aashiqui 2’ and ‘Ek Villain’.

Saiyaara has overshadowed ‘Student of the Year’ — which had the backing of Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and featured star kids like Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. Saiyaara’ has proven that compelling content, smart marketing, and audience anticipation can be just as powerful as legacy and glitter.

The film's strong advance numbers are being credited to its emotionally charged love story, fresh pairing, and music that has already topped charts. The film is now second only to Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar’s debut film Dhadak which was the Hindi version of Nagraj Manjule’s superhit film Sairat. The film opened to Rs 8.71 crore day 1 collection and going by the buzz Saiyaara has all the potential to break that number and hit double digit by the end of day 1. One also needs to factor in the discount makers of Saiyaara are offering. The makers are giving Rs 200 off on purchase of two tickets or more for day 1. So day 1 collection needs to be looked at with a pinch of salt.