How did you feel when you left the hall crying: 'Saiyaara' director Mohit Suri wants to know

New Delhi: Every evening Mohit Suri spends two hours replying to messages and phones calls pouring in from those who just finished watching Saiyaara, his latest drama being credited for bringing back romance on the big screen.

He is curious only about one thing: "Did they cry while watching the movie?" The movie stars two newcomers -- Ahaan Pandey, till now better known as Ananya Pandey's cousin, and Aneet Padda -- and has clicked in a major way.

Many are calling it the perfect marriage between Suri, a director known for Aashiqui 2 and Emraan Hashmi hits such as Hamari Adhuri Kahani, and Yash Raj Films, a banner known for its romantic stories.

Saiyaara has earned Rs 300 crore since its release on July 18 and Suri is on top of the world.

The director, who made his debut in 2005 with Hashmi-starrer Zeher and directed hits like Kalyug, Woh Lamhe and Ek Villain, admits he hasn't seen this level of success before in his career.

"When I go home, I tell my wife to give me two hours because the evening show is coming to an end, and everyone is on the phone and I want to take everyone's call. I want to ask how they liked the film. How did they feel when they left the cinema while crying?" Suri told PTI in an interview.

"Saiyaara" revolves around an upcoming musician with anger issues and a lyricist trying to get over her heartbreak. The core of the love story is the music the two create.

Suri was initially in talks to develop the movie as a follow up to his 2013 hit Aashiqui 2 starring Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor but eventually ended up with YRF. Anurag Basu is directing Aashiqui 3 with Kartik Aaryan in the lead role.

Suri is happy with the way things worked out.

"The 'Aashiqui 3' thing... it was too nascent. They (the 'Aashiqui 3' producers) had asked me if I would be interested in making it. This was the idea I had. But I don't commit to something till I have a script ready. They were in a hurry to begin so I was more than glad when Anurag took over but I couldn't rush the process."

"Once there was no sequel pressure or of a star cast which had an opening number to live up to, I stopped caring about the commerce. And I just went and made a film. If I was making a sequel, or a franchise, I would be somewhere playing to a commerce like 'Let's make it better than Aashiqui 2. Let's make the music better'. I didn't do that. I did what's best for the film. It was such a liberating process."

The 44-year-old said the feeling he has delivered one of the biggest hits of his career is yet to sink in.

"There are all types of people, youngsters, families, everyone has really lapped up this film. I am not at the age where I can go out and party. I did that a lot when I was a kid. I didn't have children then. Today to see my daughter being proud of me brings a different kind of happiness." Did he know that he had a hit at his hand during the making of the movie? Suri said when his producer Aditya Chopra saw the rough edit of the movie, he predicted the movie will cross Rs 100 crore at the box office.

"I didn't really fall for that I think. I was not too sure. I was still like, 'Let me edit the film. Let me bring it down'." Ahaan and Aneet were kept away from the promotions of the movie.

"I genuinely felt that if we arm these kids with a story, a narrative, a song, then they have a better fighting chance rather than just the way they look or how they are photographed," Suri said.

"Honestly speaking, this is not a new strategy. This actually was the age old strategy which has been rediscovered," he said.

According to Suri, the media in the old days was not interested in covering newcomers and only attended big star premieres.

"When we were starting off with Emraan Hashmi and 'Zeher', we requested the media to come and they never did. It's just that today even before they are launched, these kids are being showcased already and prejudged. We didn't want them to be prejudged," he said.

Music is the heartbeat of Saiyaara with the songs Saiyaara, Dhun, Humsafar and Tum Ho To getting people humming along.

Suri, who claims to not have an ear for music, said he started working on some of the tracks even before Ahaan and Aneet were cast.

"I make music while I am writing my film. I think the whole process is so magical. You create something that was not there in any physical form. But it's a great song. It can change your emotion. It can make you cry and laugh and dance. I don't know a single love story that has done well without good music." Suri quotes Ramgopal Varma to describe his feelings for what Saiyaara has turned out to be.

"He (RGV) said during the re-release of 'Satya' that 'We don't make the film, sometimes the film makes us. They have a life of their own, we are just part of them'. And I believe that," he said.

Memory loss has been an oft repeated trope in cinema and stories and it is quite central to the plot of Saiyaara. Did he not worry about the film being called a cliche? "I didn't go out to impress the audience, I wanted to touch them. My intention was not to dazzle them with all the razzmatazz but hold their hands and that hand could be a familiar hand too. I didn't try to make something different but something that you love. And I think I did pretty ok with that."