'Saiyaara' star Ahaan Panday reveals the multiple careers like DJing, game design he tried before assisting on sets and acting: 'I observed everything quietly'

Ahaan Panday became well-known after the release of his first film ‘Saiyaara’, directed by Mohit Suri. In a recent interview, he said that his first passion was writing. As a child, he even wrote a whole book in the third grade with help from his grandmother, who guided him in compiling and editing it. Later, he developed a love for storytelling and acting. Before joining the film world, he also explored different interests like DJing and designing video games.Talking to Grazia India, Ahaan recalled, “At sixteen, I tried DJing and then music production followed. I had a group called Bass Trap and we released tracks under it. Then came video game design. Later, I started assisting on film sets since that passion for storytelling was always hidden beneath everything else. I observed everything quietly at sets. Post that, I also gave my first film audition and that’s where I got a taste of theatre and what performing in front of a proper crowd felt like. It’s here I decided to stick to this one thing." He shared that his desire to explore many different things made him realize that acting was the ideal path, as it allowed him to experience it all through various roles. However, by the time he turned 18, rejection had become a regular part of his journey. “That’s when the no’s began,” he recalled, adding that while some directors showed interest in collaborating with him, producers were often unsure about casting a newcomer.Through his journey, Ahaan realised that the path to acting wouldn’t be easy and that rejection would often come his way. The actor stated that he learnt that it takes a lot of courage to act because at the end of the day, it’s an art form, which is not a commercially viable occupation. He understood there were going to be a lot of no’s before there would be a yes and that it is a part of the process. While he's been a part of a beautiful film like ‘Saiyaara’, he knows next Friday when he has a film coming out, it’s going to count as it is something he has to learn to live with.Before stepping into the spotlight with his debut film ‘Saiyaara’, Ahaan worked behind the scenes to understand the craft better. He served as an assistant on films like ‘Rock On 2’ (2016) and ‘Freaky Ali’ (2016), and later on the web series ‘The Railway Men’ (2023), gaining valuable on-set experience along the way.