Director Mohit Suri is currently basking in the success of his latest release, Saiyaara, which has emerged as the biggest hit of his career. In a recent conversation with Variety India, he shared insights into his collaboration with producer Aditya Chopra, describing the experience as one of the most creatively liberating phases he has ever experienced in the industry. Mohit highlighted that the highlight of this partnership was the immense freedom he was granted. He revealed, “It’s actually the most someone has ever really given me. What he gave me was independence. What he gave me was not controlling, not breathing down my neck. He told me, work your way, find yourself.”
This independence extended to the film’s music, a department where Yash Raj Films typically follows a strict internal process. Mohit recalled how Aditya encouraged him to step outside the studio’s comfort zone. He shared, “They normally make music inside their own studio. He said, ‘Don’t.’ I like being in every musician’s own space. He told me, ‘Do it your way. You want your music, do it your way.” Despite the studio’s history of not using multiple music directors for a single film, Aditya insisted that if they wanted Mohit’s signature sound, the director had to work his way.
The trust between the duo was most evident during the editing stage. After watching a loose cut of the film that ran for 3 hours and 10 minutes, Aditya gave a diktat that left Mohit stunned. Instead of asking for a shorter version, he insisted on maintaining the length. Mohit recalled, “He said, ‘I don’t know what you will cut, but I don’t want a film shorter than 2 hours 45 minutes because you will kill the feeling. This film is going to do 100 crores.” Interestingly, Mohit found himself in the unusual position of arguing for a shorter film. “I told him, I’ve done more newcomer films than you, this can’t be more than two-and-a-half hours,” he admitted, mentioning that usually, it is the producer who pushes for a tighter runtime.
Aditya’s advice was specific: he urged Mohit to complete the background score and watch the film on a big screen before making final cuts to ensure he was cutting for the theatre, not for television. Talking about the journey, Mohit mentioned, “I genuinely believe big budgets are not what we need. We need producers with big hearts. There’s a difference.”
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