For Ahaan Panday, stepping into the shoes of Krish Kapoor in Saiyaara was as much a musical journey as it was an emotional one. In a recent conversation with Esquire India, the actor opened up about the carefully curated playlists that helped him shape his performance.
Inside Ahaan Panday’s Saiyaara playlist: From Radiohead’s ‘Let Down’ to Queen’s ‘Radio Gaga’
Despite his rough exterior, Krish evolves into a deeply caring partner when the woman he loves is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Director Mohit Suri reportedly asked Panday to draw inspiration from Sanjay Dutt’s early screen persona. “Sanjay Dutt was the OG bad boy who I believed had a great heart and an endearing quality. I made Ahaan watch a lot of his earlier films and he did. In fact, there were times on set he was completely Sanju Baba,” Suri said.
But beyond cinematic references, it was music that became Panday’s primary access point to Krish’s emotional landscape. “Would you like to know what music I listened to at that time?” he asked during the interview. “I can’t do without music. Whether I’m entering a set, or leaving it, or at home, I always need it,” he said.
To tap into what he called Krish’s “angst-ridden zone,” Panday repeatedly listened to ‘Let Down’ by Radiohead and ‘I Really Want to Stay At Your House’ from the anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. His playlist also included ‘Maula Mere Maula’ composed by Mithoon for the film Anwar, as well as the title track of the Tamil film Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee.
The actor revealed that he created multiple playlists to match different emotional beats of his character. One of them, titled ‘The Need For Fame,’ featured ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith, ‘Radio Gaga’ by Queen, and ‘No Church In The Wild’ by Jay-Z and Kanye West — which he described as “a very ego-driven song.” The list also included ‘Unchained Melody’ by Elvis Presley.
Beyond streaming platforms, Panday said he maintains an extensive vinyl collection. “I also have a huge collection of records. I prefer them for the quality. The mids are so much better. It’s crisper. Nothing on a phone can replicate that,” he said, underlining his preference for analogue sound.
As he prepares for his next project, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Panday appears to be continuing his process-driven approach — one playlist at a time.
More Pages: Saiyaara Box Office Collection , Saiyaara Movie ReviewTags : Ahaan Panday, Anwar, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Dream On, Elvis Presley, Features, I Really Want to Stay At Your House, Jay Z, Kanye West, Let Down, Lifestyle, Maula Mere Maula, Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee, Music, No Chruch In The Wild, Playlist, Radio Gaga, Radiohead, Saiyaara, Sanjay Dutt, Song, The Need For Fame, Unchained Melody
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