Akshay Kumar forgets Aneet Padda, Ahaan Panday’s names, says they got ‘lucky’ with Saiyaara

3 min readBengaluruJun 29, 2026 01:53 PM IST

Welcome to the Jungle star Akshay Kumar is currently basking in the success of the film. In a recent interview while promoting the film, along with the film’s director Ahmed Khan, Akshay shared his view on what makes films successful. During the conversation, he referred to Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday’s breakthrough hit, Saiyaara, and shared that it worked due to ‘sheer luck’

Akshay Kumar has opened up about the success of Saiyaara, suggesting that the film’s box office performance was largely driven by luck rather than elaborate promotional strategies. Speaking in a recent interview with ANI, the actor emphasised that hit films often succeed because of organic audience response and timing, rather than planned campaigns or industry events.

He pointed out that Saiyaara managed to connect with viewers on its own merit, adding that sometimes a film simply ‘clicks’ with audiences without much external push.

Akshay Kumar on Saiyaara

During a conversation with ANI, Akshay Kumar was heard saying, “If it is in the destiny of the film, it runs successfully one way or the other.” He then referred to a recent release featuring new faces but appeared to momentarily forget the names of Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday, saying, “Recently, the film came out with the new boy and new girl, what was that film.”

After filmmaker Ahmed Khan reminded him that the film was Saiyaara, Akshay Kumar elaborated, “Yes, Saiyaara. I want to ask, what event did the film have? There was no event. It’s just that its songs worked and the romance in the film worked. That caught on. The boy and the girl performed well, and they were lucky that the film took off,” he said, crediting the music, romance and the performances of the newcomers while also calling the film’s success a matter of good fortune.

The statement has sparked discussion online.

So Akshay Kumar doesn’t even know the name of saiyaara movie stars “aneet and ahaan pandey” and he is legit saying that saiyaara was just a fluke or luck based hit for them..bro wtff😭😭😭?? pic.twitter.com/bvEEbC6Nhu

— daksh. (@mythicbxrn) June 27, 2026

Interestingly, Akshay had spoken highly of Saiyaara when it was released in 2025. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he welcomed the success of newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, calling it a positive sign for the Hindi film industry. He said it was encouraging to see a film led by fresh faces become a hit and praised director Mohit Suri’s work, especially the film’s music.

About  Welcome To The Jungle

Akshay Kumar-starrer Welcome To The Jungle continues its strong box office performance, with the film now collecting an estimated Rs 65.83 crore in India net. The movie’s India gross has reached Rs 77.67 crore, reflecting steady audience turnout across multiple circuits. Globally, the film has made Rs 94.63 cr in 3 days.